Tension in Telangana’s Maheshwaram over Shivaji statue near Ambedkar memorial

Hyderabad: Tension erupted in Maheshwaram of Ranga Reddy district in Telangana over a statue of Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji. Hindu groups installed it late last night at the main junction near a B.R. Ambedkar statue, prompting Dalit groups to stage protests Thursday morning.

Police intervened, removed the Shivaji statue, and shifted it to the local panchayat office. Hindu groups staged a counter-protest against the removal but withdrew after panchayat leaders assured them of a new site by February 20.

Dalit groups claimed those who installed the Shivaji statue snapped the CCTV connection and street lights around 2 a.m. Interestingly, the site was opposite the local police station.

"It's been more than 30 years since the Ambedkar statue was installed here, and around 15 years ago Babu Jagjivan Ram's statue was added. Since then, it's been called Ambedkar & Jagjivan Ram junction. Any statue requires permission from authorities. But in this case, we call them anti-social elements who installed the Shivaji statue overnight without permission. These groups want political mileage by installing Shivaji's statue. Even Shivaji was a victim of caste discrimination," said state SC & ST Commission member Chilakamarri Narasimha on Thursday.

SC, ST, and BC leaders gathered in large numbers at the police station and protested, demanding action. Protesters said they are not against the Shivaji statue but oppose its placement where Ambedkar and Jagjivan Ram statues stand. "We are not against the Shivaji statue. We oppose installing it at the same place where the statues of Ambedkar and Jagjivan Ram are in the circle. We are ready to actively participate in installing the Shivaji statue at a new location," said a Dalit leader.

Local police arranged a crane and truck to remove the statue and store it at the panchayat office. Panchayat leaders later assured a new location for the Shivaji statue.