A controversy has erupted in the Secunderabad Cantonment area following the alleged removal of a statue of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar by Cantonment and police authorities, citing lack of permission. The statue had been installed outside a community hall in Valmiki Nagar, East Marredpally, triggering protests from local residents.

According to the residents, the statue was erected on April 8 on a constructed base, with the intention of subsequently obtaining formal approval from authorities.

However, in the midnight hours of the same day, the statue was removed without any prior notice or communication, they alleged. The residents had planned to inaugurate the statue on April 14, marking Ambedkar Jayanti.

Following the removal, residents submitted a joint representation to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB), condemning the action and demanding immediate re-installation of the statue.

They described the move as arbitrary and raised concerns over what they termed ‘selective speed and suppression’, arguing that the demolition of a symbol of national importance amounted to an insult to the Scheduled Caste (SC) community.

The representation also termed the action a constitutional atrocity, contending that treating Dr. Ambedkar’s statue as an unauthorised encroachment was an anti-constitutional act.

“The statue was installed on private land and not on defence land. The site did not pose any traffic concerns or ownership disputes, and therefore there was no justification for its removal,” said Sanki Ravinder Babu, general secretary of Cantonment Vikas Manch, an NGO based in the Secunderabad Cantonment area.

Meanwhile, the issue has reached the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), which has taken cognisance of the matter. In a notice dated April 10, the Commission sought an action taken report from the Secunderabad Cantonment Board and the Commissioner of Police, Malkajgiri, within three days.

The notice, issued under Article 338 of the Constitution, states that the Commission has decided to investigate the matter following a complaint and has warned that failure to respond within the stipulated time could lead to further proceedings, including the exercise of powers of a civil court.

Attempts to contact the Chief Executive Officer of the Secunderabad Cantonment Board for a response went unanswered at the time of filing this report.