Kalaburagi: Tension prevailed in Kalaburagi city as miscreants desecrated the statue of Babasaheb Ambedkar at Kotanur layout late on Tuesday night.
The incident triggered protests by hundreds of Dalit activists at various locations, including Lumbini Garden Road, Naganahalli Ring Road, and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Road. Commercial establishments shuttered their doors.
Both the police and the district administration tried to pacify the agitated crowd. DCP Kanika Sikriwal paid floral tribute to Babasaheb, while District Deputy Commissioner Fouzia Taranum assured stringent action against the perpetrators.
Expressing strong condemnation of the incident, District In-Charge Minister Priyank Kharge remarked, “We take a serious view of the act at Kotanur layout in Kalaburagi city late last night.”
“I have instructed the city police commissioner and district superintendents of police, who were in Bengaluru for a meeting, to return immediately to Kalaburagi, conduct a prompt investigation, and apprehend the culprits without delay,” he said.
“We are committed to take action against those who have disrespected the Mahatma (Dr Ambedkar), who dedicated his life to equality and bestowed the right to live upon oppressed communities throughout the country,” Priyank asserted, urging the public not to succumb to anger and to maintain peace.
The BJP joined the condemnation, strongly urging the government to promptly apprehend the miscreants involved in the desecration incident.
