After desecration of Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar’s statues at many places in the state, a case of defacing statues of Hindu deities was reported from Ballia district in Uttar Pradesh.

Miscreants in Harijan Basti in Nagpur area of Ballia district allegedly desecrated statues of Hindu deities and filmed the act. Later, they allegedly uploaded the video to the social media and made it viral calling public outrage.

On a complaint of the Hindu Yuva Vahini, a saffron outfit founded by the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the Ballia Police arrested four persons in this case.“We have nabbed four persons and slapped Section 295 of the IPC and Section 66A of the IT Act for insulting and defiling a place of worship with an intention to insult a religion and sending offensive messages through social media,” said Jagdish Yadav, the SHO Rasra Police Station, Ballia.

Agitated over the incident, the Hindu Yuva Vahini activists in Ballia alleged that a local BSP leader was behind desecration of statues of Hindu deities and burning their pictures. “It was an insult to Hindu religion. We demand immediate arrest of the man who incited dalits to indulge in such act,” said R.K. Singh, a HYV activist.

Earlier, statues of Dr Ambedkar were defaced in nearly a dozen districts across the state by anti-social elements forcing the Chief Minister to issue directions to District Magistrates and Police Chiefs to ensure the safety of the statues.