The Meerut police has formed a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the violence in the city during the Bharat bandh called by Dalit groups on April 2. The SIT, with 17 police officials, will work under the supervision of Meerut Senior Superintendent of Police Manzil Saini and the District Magistrate Anil Dhingra.
They have been asked to file a weekly status report to the Lucknow headquarters and the ADG law and order.
Meanwhile, statues of B.R. Ambedkar were damaged in villages of Ballia and Badaun districts in Uttar Pradesh, in the latest incidents of vandalism in a series of such acts. In Ballia’s Thedwari village in the Nagra police station area, the right hand, a leg and the head of the statue was found damaged on Saturday, police station in-charge Ram Dinesh Tewari said. In Badaun, the statue at Ambedkar park in Dugraiya village was found damaged. Superintendent of Police Kamal Kishore said the police covered the statue and started a probe.
The State administration had been warned by local intelligence units that conflict could yet again be provoked here by targeting of Ambedkar statues ahead of Ambedkar Jayanti which falls on April 14.
(With PTI inputs)
