Police deter escalation between groups over Ambedkar statue installation in Gwalior

Various Dalit organisations on Wednesday (October 15, 2025) called off an agitation they had announced in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior against the recent offensive remarks made by a lawyer about B. R. Ambedkar, with the police maintaining a tight vigil in the city and preventing any clashes between two groups. 

Gwalior Superintendent of Police Dharmvir Singh told The Hindu that more than 4,200 personnel are currently deployed in the city, including over 700 called in from neighbouring districts, along with arrangements for tear gas and other measures to prevent any escalation. 

“We also detained about 25 people from outside who were trying to enter Gwalior today [Wednesday] to join the protests and mobilise support,” he said, adding that preventive orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) were also issued. 

While the situation in the city has been tensed since February between two factions of lawyers over the installation of a statute of Ambedkar in the premises of the Gwalior bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, the current tensions flared after a lawyer, Anil Mishra, posted a video on social media earlier this month in which he allegedly used derogatory terms against the architect of the Constitution. This prompted various Dalit organisations, including the Bhim Army, to announce an agitation in the city on October 15. An FIR was also lodged against Mr. Mishra for the remarks. 

Mr. Mishra and a group of lawyers have opposed the installation of the Ambedkar statue and have in turn demanded that a sculpture of B. N. Rau, the advisor to the constituent assembly, be installed.   

A counter demonstration was also announced by Mr. Mishra’s faction for the same day, raising fears of potential clashes between the two sides. 

Mr. Singh said that since the announcement, senior police and administration officials have held about 300 meetings with local communities to build confidence and advised them to not fall prey to social media campaigns. 

“We have been monitoring social media for about 10 days now and have also restricted several posts and accounts that could have added to the tension. We also alerted local hotel and lodge owners to give us information on anyone coming from outside,” the SP said.

Mr. Singh also said that stern warnings were also issued to representatives of various groups and outfits. “We told them that if anything goes wrong, they will be held responsible and strict legal action will be taken,” he added. 

Earlier this week, a video also went viral showing Gwalior city Deputy SP Hina Khan raising slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ when a group of protestors led by Mr. Mishra accused her of bias against the Hindu community and started sloganeering. 

Mr. Singh said that Ms. Khan handled the situation well and “used her presence of mind to deal with the protestors”. 

The matter of statue installation is currently pending in the High Court.