2006 Dalit Protests in Maharashtra - Arrest of The Vandal

Arrest of The Vandal

Many Dalit leaders, including the UP RPI vice-president S. R. Darapuri remarked that the desecration of Ambedkar statue displayed the deep-seated animosity towards Dalits in India. Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy claimed that the desecration was the work of "anti-national" elements.

Later, the Kanpur Police arrested a Dalit youth Arun Kumar Balmiki for desecrating the Ambedkar statue. According to the police, the youth had "admitted to having damaged the statue in a drunken state along with two friends". Earlier in a similar case, a Dalit youth was held for desecrating an Ambedkar statue in Gulbarga, Karnataka. However, some Dalits in Kanpur alleged that the youth was falsely implicated to protect the real culprits. Some Dalits protesting against Balmiki's arrest damaged vehicles and blocked traffic in Kanpur. Meanwhile, the old descecrated statue in Kanpur was buried with full honors and quickly replaced with a new one.