Featured Image Credits: Falana Dikhana
Goons affiliated with the Bhim Army have removed a murti of Ma Kali and installed idols of Dr. BR Ambedkar in its stead. The incident took place in the Hareva Shukla village of Basti district of Uttar Pradesh. The murti of Ma Kali is currently missing.
According to the Hindu organisations that are active in the village, the murti of Ma Kali had been in the village for nearly 40 years. The murti was removed on the directions of Bhim Army leader Ashvani Gautam alias Monu. Pravin Shukla, a resident of the village, said that Ashvani Gautam had also promised to install idols of Ambedkar across the village to placate Dalits and curry political favour with them.
Pravin Shukla added that the idols of Ambedkar and Buddha were installed at the spot sometime on 25 April. Hindu organisations have also complained to the administration in this regard. Seeing the locals enraged at this insult and vandalism, the district administration has given the permission to remove the idols of Ambedkar and Buddha from the spot and reinstate the murti.
Shiv Kumar, who had allegedly removed the murti of Ma Kali and installed the idols of Ambedkar and Buddha, was forced to conciliate with the angry locals – which he reportedly did after a lot of fuss – and has conceded that the newly installed statues be removed. A murti of Ma Kali will soon be reinstated at its earlier spot in the presence of the Sub District Magistrate by removing the idols of Ambedkar and Buddha.
This is not the first time that murtis of Hindu deities have been demolished and replaced with a statue of Dr. Ambedkar or Buddha. A similar incident took place in Latur district of Maharashtra, where a Hindu temple, along with the murti, was razed to the ground with a JCB earthmover, and a temple dedicated to BR Ambedkar was built in its place. At the time, a family who opposed this crime was harassed, with a woman member of the family subject to a rape-attempt and then sued under the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
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