By A Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: Tension prevailed in Sultanpuri on Thursday after a statue of Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar was found damaged.

The statue, installed in a park in B-3 block, was virtually under siege by the police throughout the day. But the police presence did not prevent onlookers from thronging the park.

The damage to the statue was noticed by an area resident, B L Gautam, at about 6 am. He informed the police control room. ``I was told about the damage to the statue by my neighbour and I promptly informed the police,'' Gautam said.

Most residents denied having seen any suspicious person in the park till 10.30 pm on Wednesday. ``The statue was probably damaged after this,'' said Gautam. Suresh (12), a resident, however, claimed he saw some youths near the statue at 8.30 pm. ``I was playing in the park about that time,'' he said.

Residents said there was a power cut in the area on Wednesday night and it is possible the miscreants damaged the statue under the cover of darkness.

Till evening, the police were yet to register a case on the basis of Gautam's complaint.

A senior area police official said he suspected the mischief was linked to the friction between residents and some officials of the civic agency responsible for maintenance of the park.

Local police officials said some parts of the statue appeared to have been damaged earlier. ``One of the fingers in the right hand of the statue was missing at the time it was given a fresh coat of paint recently,'' said a local police official.

Ambedkar statue defiled, tension grips Sultanpuri

HT Correspondent

(New Delhi, June 7)

TENSION GRIPPED Sultanpuri area of north-west Delhi after some miscreants damaged the statue of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar last night.

The police was called in after residents protested against the incident terming it as a deliberate attempt to hurt their sentiments.

Three days ago the police has registered counter cases against the former legislator Jai Kishan and T P Vats, Deputy Director, Horticulture Wing of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. The two groups had clashed following exchange of abuses on caste lines.

Residents attribute the clash as possible fallout of the damage to Dr Ambedkar's statue inside a MCD park. "The statute was installed here in 1998 but it is the first time such an incident happened, " said an agitated resident.

The forefinger and nose of the statue was broken and there were several marks of been hit by a blunt object. "It appears that the damage was done late night and it was a brisk job. It was an attempt to show disrespect to the leader and create tension," a police officer said.

A crowd gathered at the park under the leadership of Jai Kishan to protest. As tension brewed in the area, police was informed.Following a complaint, the police registered a case of hurting sentiments under section 295 of Indian Penal Code and are investigating.