The shocking vandalisation of the garden area of late Dr. B R Ambedkar’s Mumbai residence ‘Rajgruha’ here triggered uproar in the state political circles on Wednesday, with all parties demanding the immediate arrest of two unidentified culprits behind the incident.
At around6 on Tuesday, two “still-to-be identified” miscreants hurled stones at the glass windows, smashed CCTVs and damaged the flower pots at the residence in a quiet corner of the Dadar Hindu Colony in north-central Mumbai.
On Wednesday, the Matunga police station had registered an FIR in connection with the incident. Currently, Dr Ambedkar's daughter-in-law and his grandsons Prakash Ambedkar, Anandraj Ambedkar and Bhimrao Ambedkar and family members live at that bungalow.
Late Dr Ambedkar’s bungalow has a huge collection of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar’s books, photographs, some personal effects and artefacts, his ashes, all of which are now housed in a small memorial museum and a centre for Ambedkarite scholars from all over the world.
Expressing shock over the incident, Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said that ”Rajgruha” was a heritage monument and a ‘place of reverence’. He said that the State government would bring to book the culprits behind the incident and punish them severely.
“It is shocking that miscreants entered ‘Rajgruha’ and indulged in vandalism. The place is not only important for Ambedkarites, but the entire society who consider it as a place of pilgrimage. I have directed the police to act strongly against the vandals,” Uddhav said.
"It is the work of an anti-social element with a wicked mindset and done with ulterior motives. The investigations are underway. The culprits behind the incident would be arrested soon," deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said.
Talking to media fter speaking to the family members of late Dr Ambedkar and the police, leader of opposition Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP said "What has happened is highly condemnable and the accused must be caught".
The Ambedkar family members appealed to people, particularly political party leaders, not to come to Rajgruha. "Yes. Two people came. They damaged the CCTV and other things and left. The police have taken cognizance and they are doing a good job. I appeal to everyone to maintain peace," Prakash Ambedkar, late Dr Ambedkar’s grandson, the founder of Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi and three-time former MP, said.