Lakhimpur Kheri, April 14 -- Tensions flared in a village of Lakhimpur Kheri district on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti after a statue of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar was allegedly damaged, triggering violent protests today.
The incident took place at Motipur village under the Gola Gokarnnath police station area in Bankeganj.
According to local residents, a community feast (bhandara) was being held, and villagers had planned to install a statue of Dr. Ambedkar on land belonging to a long-vacant Buddhist vihara. Village head Virendra Gautam was present during the preparations but left before the statue was installed.
After installing the statue, most villagers reportedly left for a rally, leaving only women at the site. Villagers allege that a ...