Ambedkar statues vandalised in 72 UP districts: SP

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday claimed that 151 statues of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar were damaged across 72 districts of Uttar Pradesh during the BJP rule, but only 14 arrests have been made so far.

He alleged that the vandalism was done deliberately because the BJP wanted to change the Constitution but failed to do so.

There was no immediate response from the BJP.

“Statues of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar have been damaged the most. Under the BJP government, over 151 (Ambedkar statues) have been damaged or vandalised in 72 districts,” Yadav told reporters at the party office in Lucknow.

“This was done deliberately because they (the BJP) wanted to change the Constitution but failed to do so. That is why whenever the BJP and those who share its ideology attack, the first thing they target is a hand-held copy of the Constitution,” he said. He said the Samajwadi Party could track a total of 151 cases of vandalism of Ambedkar statues.

“In all, we have been able to document 151 cases. If we calculate the average, more than 15 statues were damaged annually under this government. There may be undocumented and uncounted cases too,” he said. Citing government figures, Yadav said arrests were made only in 14 cases. In 45 instances, cases were registered against unknown persons. In eight instances, a named FIR was lodged. In 84 cases, no action was taken. The BJP government neither respects Ambedkar, his statues, nor his people, Yadav said. Later, the Samajwadi Party posted a district-wise break-up on social media platform X. Citing media reports, the post said nine Ambedkar statues were attacked in Ballia; six in Azamgarh; five each in Mathura, Muzaffarnagar and Saharanpur; and four each in Ghazipur, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Prayagraj, Lucknow and Varanasi. Two statues were damaged in Gorakhpur, which stood 21st in the list.

The party said that in 85 per cent of cases, no police action was initiated on the “feudalistic anarchic elements”. It said 46 Ambedkar statues were damaged during the first tenure of the Yogi Adityanath government, while 105 statues were vandalised during its second.

In a year-wise breakdown, the post said four statues were damaged in 2022, 12 in 2023, 13 in 2024, 29 in 2025 and 47 in 2026. Speaking to reporters at the party office, Yadav took a jibe at Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, saying, “Those who constantly talk about (Samajwadi Party bastion) Saifai should check the records; you will find that Gorakhpur saw the highest number of visits (from a chief minister). No other chief minister has visited his home district as frequently as he did.”

Furthermore, there was an attempt to set a world record in Ayodhya, but funds meant for that purpose were embezzled, Yadav said. “Large-scale corruption took place in the construction of the road connecting Ayodhya and Varanasi.”

In reference to the BJP's ideology of Sanatan Dharma, the Samajwadi Party chief said, “The path of truth is Sanatan (eternal), the path of love is Sanatan, the path of brotherhood is Sanatan, and the path of honesty is Sanatan.” “Ensuring that offerings made to Lord Shri Ram are not stolen: that is the path of Sanatan. Preventing theft of donations made to Lord Shri Ram: that is the path of Sanatan,” he said. “Orchestrating a murder cannot be the path of Sanatan. Fabricating false charges cannot be the path of Sanatan.” Yadav further claimed that exam papers were leaked in Uttar Pradesh seemingly to avoid the need to provide government jobs. “If one looks at where paper leaks occurred, Uttar Pradesh saw the highest number of incidents,” he said. He said the state cannot prosper without goodwill and brotherhood. “Time and again, they (the BJP) have caused hurt and distressed people. They have actively worked to vitiate the atmosphere in Uttar Pradesh,” he alleged.

“This is a government that is failing to deliver justice, a government whose own ministers are forced to stage sit-ins. Just think about having to protest for medical treatment and justice, or even to get a post-mortem done. That is the state of this government,” he added.

Criticising the government's distribution of free laptops and tablets to students, Yadav said the devices were of low quality.

“The budget was low earlier, but it is much higher today. Still, the tablets they are distributing are of third-rate quality,” he said.

“The people of Uttar Pradesh know that any scheme implemented under the Samajwadi Party government would be of high quality. The Lok Bhavan (in Lucknow) is a contribution of the Samajwadis. Such high-quality materials were used that even today they appear exactly as they were in the photographs,” he said.