New Delhi: Seven persons, including a woman, have been booked by police in Uttar Pradesh’s Deoria for allegedly pelting stones at officials during the removal of an unauthorised statue of Dr B.R. Ambedkar installed on government land. Three police personnel and two village-level officials were also suspended by the administration for negligence in the matter.The incident took place in Lavkani village in eastern Uttar Pradesh.Villagers who had installed the statue initially agreed to relocate it after the local administration informed them that they lacked authorisation. However, violence erupted on July 30 during its removal when a section of locals opposed the move.Local resident Suraj, who filed the complaint against those who allegedly turned violent, said he had installed Ambedkar’s statue near the village Anganwadi centre. In his complaint to the police, a copy of which has been reviewed by The Wire, Suraj stated that he was unaware that the land was designated as government khalihan (traditional threshing floor) land, where a statue could not legally be installed.“As soon as we came to know about this, we started removing the statue with mutual consent,” he said.Deoria Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhijit R. Shankar said that the statue was illegally placed on government land “without permission”. A joint team of administrative officials and police personnel arrived at the scene, initiated legal proceedings and spoke with the villagers who had installed the statue, the officer added.थाना गौरीबाजार के ग्राम लवकनी में अवैध रूप से बिना अनुमति अंबेडकर प्रतिमा लगाने के संबंध में हुए विवाद के संबंध में प्रशासन एवं पुलिस विभाग की संयुक्त कार्यवाही एवं मौके पर शांति व्यवस्था कायम होने के संबंध में @dmdeoria के साथ पुलिस अधीक्षक देवरिया श्री अभिजीत आर. शंकर की बाइट। pic.twitter.com/vRv6qsLpBI— DEORIA POLICE (@DeoriaPolice) July 30, 2026“Those who had placed the statue agreed to remove it respectfully. While removing the statue, they were attacked by some unruly elements present there,” Shankar said. Police said that both officials and police personnel were targeted with bricks and stones.Suraj recounted that as they were removing the statue, a group seeking to “spoil the harmony of the village” engaged in a scuffle with them to halt the removal. “Suddenly, these unruly elements started attacking us by pelting stones, causing chaos and panic. The police force chased away those trying to spoil the atmosphere,” Suraj said, adding that he sustained injuries in the clash.A First Information Report (FIR) was registered at Gauri Bazar police station against local residents Arjun, Rakesh, Tuntun, Aniket, Vikas, Anil Bharti, Ankul, and 60 to 70 unidentified others. They were booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) provisions related to unlawful assembly, voluntarily causing hurt, rioting, unprovoked assault, and acts endangering human life or personal safety.SP Shankar said the statue of B.R. Ambedkar was successfully removed from the site. Strict legal action will be taken against those who pelted stones, he said, adding that officials found guilty of departmental lapses would also face disciplinary measures.Deoria District Magistrate Madhusudan Hulgi said that a lekhpal (revenue officer), a panchayat secretary, a beat constable, a halqa in-charge, and a Local Intelligence Unit (LIU) in-charge were suspended following the incident. A show-cause notice has also been issued to the gram pradhan.Omar Rashid is an independent journalist.