MUMBAI: Prohibitory orders were imposed in Maharashtra’s Parbhani on Wednesday as violent protests rocked the city over the vandalising of a replica of the Indian Constitution, officials said.A glass-encased cement replica of the Constitution outside Parbhani railway station, close to a statue of Dr BR Ambedkar, was found to have been damaged on Tuesday, sparking protests. Police arrested a man in connection with the incident, but protests resumed on Wednesday morning.Amid the bandh called by social organisations, a mob indulged in arson and the district collector’s office was vandalised, officials said. In response, police fired teargas shells to disperse the crowd.A crowd of around 200 people gathered near the statue after the word spread about the damage, and then threw stones at shops and government offices. “PVC pipes outside a shop were set ablaze. As the mob became violent, police fired tear gas shells and dispersed them,” said acting SP Yeshwant Kale.Another police official said, “The protesters rushed towards the railway station and pulled down the pilot of the Nandigram Express train and roughed him up. Railway tracks were blocked for 30 minutes before the protesters were evicted by GRP and police personnel.”Protesters demanded strict action against the person responsible for damaging the replica of the Constitution and sought protection for all statues of national leaders.Prakash Ambedkar, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi president and grandson of BR Ambedkar, said: “The vandalisation of the Constitution of India is very shameful, to say the least. It is not the first time such vandalisation of Babasaheb’s statue has happened. VBA workers in Parbhani district were the first to be on the scene. Their protests led to the police to file an FIR and arrest one of the miscreants.”Kale said, “Prohibitory orders were imposed in the city, banning the gathering of five or more persons in public places, and a company of the State Reserve Police Force has been called in to help maintain law and order.”
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