151 statues of Ambedkar vandalized in UP under BJP: Akhilesh Yadav

Samajwadi Party National President Akhilesh Yadav addresses a press conference at the party office in Lucknow on September 20, 2026. | Photo credit: ANI

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday (September 20, 2026) said that more than 151 statues of BR Ambedkar have been vandalized in 72 districts of Uttar Pradesh in nine-and-a-half years of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rule in the state. Releasing the “Samajwadi Audit Report”, Mr Yadav alleged that the incidents were part of a larger pattern of humiliation of marginalized social groups and Ambedkarites.

“No less than 151 (statues of Ambedkar) were damaged or vandalized in 72 districts during BJP rule. This was documented in our ‘Samajwadi Audit Report’. Vandalism is a deliberate act of humiliating oppressed social groups and followers of Dr. Ambedkar. As BJP has failed to change the constitutional acts, they are not trusted. If we calculate the average, more than 15 statues have been vandalized every year, I am sure that in Many more untold incidents have happened to Uttar Pradesh,” Mr. Yadav told reporters in Lucknow at the release of the ‘Samajwadi Audit Report’.

Arrests were made in only 14 such cases of vandalism, the SP chief said. “Cases have been registered against 45 unknown persons; 18 people have been named accused across the incidents. In 84 incidents there are no details of any action taken. The attack on Babasaheb Ambedkar is an attack on the soul of India and a slap in the face of democratic values. It shows that the BJP government and its feudal henchmen have no respect for Dr.

According to the ‘Samajwadi audit report’, nine such incidents were reported in Ballia district, six in Azamgarh, five in Mathura, five in Muzaffarnagar and five incidents were reported in Saharanpur. The documentary begins with an incident reported on 24 March 2017 in Gautam Buddha Nagar and ends with an incident reported on 19 September 2026 in Unnao.

The opposition party further claimed that the audit was part of a larger protest for social justice and would eventually lead to the overthrow of the BJP government. “We will take the issue of injustice to Dr. Ambedkar across the villages and blocks of Uttar Pradesh. We will sensitize the common people about the injustice done by BJP government and how the symbol of social justice is being humiliated under BJP. BJP will lose power in 2027,” said SP spokesperson Sunil Singh Yadav’S.

Mr. Akhikesh Yadav also promised to increase SP’s vote tally in every assembly seat. “We have all decided together that we will work to increase 27,000 votes in favor of SP in each assembly constituency. In this way we will work to reduce 27,000 votes of BJP (in each constituency). These votes will come to the Samajwadi Party. People contact, (and) people cooperation, (and) security cooperation will be treated with the use of technology in elections,” he said.

Published – 20 Sep 2026 21:24 IST