The Allahabad High Court has called for an amicable resolution to the unauthorised installation of Dr. BR Ambedkar’s statue at a Dev Sthan in Bareilly [Bhagirath And Another v State of UP and 4 Others]
Justice Arun Kumar ordered the District Magistrate to constitute a committee of responsible officers, who can speak with the factions of Gangapur village to ensure that religious activities being carried out at the site are not disturbed.
The Court added that the villagers, who want to install the statue of Dr. Ambedkar, can be provided an appropriate place at the same place or any other plot of the Gaon Sabha in the village.
“The District Magistrate, Bareilly shall carry out the said exercise within six weeks from today and submit his report to this Court through an affidavit of a responsible officer in the present petition," the Court ordered.
The Court was hearing a petition seeking removal of the encroachment from the land recorded as Dev Sthan in the revenue records.
As per the State, a platform was constructed at the site by certain villagers in April 2025 for placing a photograph of Dr. Ambedkar.
Though the photograph was later removed, a statue was installed on the platform a few months later. It caused deterioration of law and order in the area. The conflict also led to registration of two First Information Reports (FIRs) by the two warring factions of the village.
The Court said that it is evident that there are two factions in the village – one which wants to carry out religious activity on the plot and the other which has installed the statue of Dr. Ambedkar without any authority of law.
“There is no dispute of the fact that the plot in question is the land belonging to Gaon Sabha, which continues to be recorded as Dev Sthan, meant for carrying out religious activities by the villagers. According to the instructions given by the Deputy District Magistrate, the installation of statue has been made without any authority of law. There is nothing on record to show that the Land Management Committee had ever resolved to allocate the said land for installation of the statue of Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar,” the Bench said.
It added that as both the religious activity and the installation of the statue, affects the feelings of different factions of the villagers, any coercion against one of the factions would spark unrest in the village causing law and order problems.
Thus, it asked the district authorities to find an amicable solution to the problem. The matter will be taken up for hearing on May 11.
Advocates Pradeep Saxena and Ram Naresh Maurya appeared for the petitioners.
Advocate Sher Bahadur appeared for a respondent.
[Read Order]