Agra village tense after Ambedkar statue vandalised

Goval and other adjoining villages under Berhan police station limits in Agra district remained tense on Thursday (October 8, 2026) after miscreants damaged a statue of Dr. BR Ambedkar installed in a public park. Amid protests by local residents, mostly from the Dalit community, the police lodged a formal complaint and deployed additional forces to prevent any breach of law and order.

“The statue of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Ji was damaged in Goval village under Berhan police station in Agra. This incident is extremely sad and condemnable. I urge the administration to take strict legal action against the culprits and get the statue restored,” said Lalit Jatav, associated with Bhim Army, Agra.

“Information was received that an unknown person had damaged the finger of the statue, on which the Berhan police station immediately reached the spot and collected information from the people. With the help of local people, an order is being made to install a new statue. Based on the complaint received, the case is registered and further court proceedings are underway. The place is calm and orderly,” the Agra police said in a statement.

The Congress criticized the incident, adding that it was an organized pattern to humiliate the Dalit community, citing the importance of Agra with a high Scheduled Caste (SC) population. “It is an organized plan to subjugate the Dalit community. After BJP came to power in UP, feudal elements got stronger; therefore, by vandalizing Ambedkar’s statue, a signal is being sent to Dalits that even after almost 80 years of independence, they are second-class citizens at the hands of feudal forces. The attack on Ambkar’s statue in Agra is not limited to self-respect. But the attack on Dalit’s statue is not limited to self-respect. It is happening with other icons of marginalized sections.” said Anil Yadav, UP Congress leader.

Published – 9 Oct 2026 01:23 IST