Khetia (Madhya Pradesh): Enraged members of the Dalit community staged a demonstration in front of the police station in Khetia village of Barwani district, demanding stern action against unidentified perpetrators who attempted to inflict damage to the statue of Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar.
Community members in large numbers reached the police station and submitted an application under the leadership of Dalit Utthan Samiti chairman Prakash Thackeray to police station in-charge and city inspector Sher Singh Baghel, demanding stern action against the miscreants.
Prakash Thackeray said that the miscreants garlanded the statue of Baba Saheb with leaves and strongly condemned the action. Community members are also angry that the statue was damaged despite being near the police station.
Dalit community district president Dr Sunil Bagle also reached the police station and demanded the arrest of the perpetrators as soon as possible. Community members were given reassurances of an investigation into the matter by the city inspector.
In the 1930s, Ambedkar initiated organized campaigns for the rights of Dalits. He insisted on the freedom of all castes to access temples and the availability of public drinking water sources. He organized symbolic protests to enter the Kalaram Temple in Nashik and publicly denounced Hindu texts that support bigotry.
He used a variety of strategies to protect Dalit rights. By influencing public opinion through his works in several publications, including Mook Nayak, Vahishkrit Bharat, and Equality Janta, which he founded for the defense of Dalit rights, Ambedkar initiated a movement against Dalit prejudice.
