Chennai- The Tamil Nadu government has declined, to remove the iron grills or bars installed around statues of Dr B.R. Ambedkar and replace them with CCTV cameras, saying that CCTV surveillance alone may not provide adequate physical protection to the statues.
The government has told the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) that the existing protective arrangement should continue and that “status quo will be maintained” for now.
The response came after a petition by Vengatesan of Chengalpattu district, who sought the removal of the iron bars around Ambedkar statues in Tamil Nadu and installation of CCTV cameras instead.
Activists strongly believe that caging Ambedkar's statues is an outright violation of Article 15 of the Indian Constitution, which prohibits discrimination based on caste, creed, religion, gender, or domicile. They argue that this is a glaring symbol of discrimination, as statues of other leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi and Periyar remain unshackled.
The petition submitted by Vengatesan Sivakumar, the State Coordinator of the SC ST Viduthalai Munnetra Munnani, was addressed to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes.
The petition, dated October 15, 2024, raises the issue of iron fencing around Ambedkar statues and seeks a change in the security arrangement.
The central request made by the petitioner was that the iron bars surrounding Ambedkar statues should be removed and CCTV cameras installed as an alternative security measure.
The subsequent government communication to the NCSC specifically records the request as one for “installation of CCTV cameras alone in lieu of the iron bars around the statues in Tamil Nadu.”
The issue was taken up by the NCSC, which sought a response from the Tamil Nadu government. The state's latest communication refers to NCSC Letter No. APCR/OL/TN/2024/261091, Reminder-II, dated June 18, 2026.
The response was issued on August 19, 2026, by the Public (Law & Order.B) Department, Government of Tamil Nadu, Secretariat, Chennai. The letter was addressed to the Director, National Commission for Scheduled Castes, Government of India, Chennai. It was signed by Tmt. E. Sundaravalli, IAS, Secretary to Government.
The government said that the petitioner's proposal had been considered in consultation with the Director General of Police.
The proposal was specifically to use CCTV cameras alone instead of the iron bars around the statues.
After considering the proposal, the government concluded that CCTV cameras by themselves may not provide adequate physical protection.
The Tamil Nadu government's principal argument is that CCTV surveillance cannot substitute for a physical barrier in locations where statues may be vulnerable.
The government letter says the proposal may not provide “adequate physical protection” to the statues, taking into consideration the vulnerability of the locations and the possibility of:
desecration of the statues;
damage;
encroachment;
unauthorised access; and
other untoward incidents.
According to the government, fencing the statues with a grill is therefore considered a more appropriate preventive and protective measure.
The government's reasoning is essentially that a camera can monitor an incident but does not itself create a physical barrier. The letter states that a grill would ensure the physical safety of the statue and help prevent unauthorised access, desecration, damage and further untoward incidents. Therefore, the government has not accepted the petitioner's proposal to remove the bars and rely only on CCTV surveillance.
The most significant part of the government's reply comes towards the end of the letter. It states:
“As such status quo will be maintained in this matter, at this juncture.”
This means that the present arrangement will continue for now. The letter does not order the removal of the iron bars around Ambedkar statues.
In fact, the document records the opposite: the government's present position is that the grills provide a necessary physical layer of protection and therefore should remain.
Copies of the August 19 communication were also marked to the Director General of Police/Head of Police Force, Chennai; Tamil Development & Information (MI) Department, Secretariat, Chennai; and the petitioner.
Activist and content creator Vidhya Senthamizhselvan, who has extensively documented Ambedkar’s statues, traced their history in India. The first Ambedkar statue was established in Kolhapur on December 7, 1950, while he was still alive.
In Tamil Nadu, it was Dalit leader Gnanasekaran of the Dalit Freedom Movement who initiated the installation of the first statue in Madurai in 1987. However, in the 1990s, caste riots and subsequent law-and-order issues led to concerns over their safety.
In a documentary produced by Vidhya, veteran Dalit leader Thol. Thirumavalavan, MP from Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), explained that during this period, then-Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi convened a meeting of various caste association leaders.
The government decided to implement new regulations concerning statues, including requiring official permissions, bronze construction, and protective fencing maintained by those who initiated the statues' installation. While these measures applied broadly, activists argue that in practice, only Ambedkar’s statues are placed inside cages.
This petition raises a broader question about how Ambedkar statues in public spaces are protected and whether physical fencing is the appropriate method.
The petitioner's approach was to replace the physical barriers with CCTV surveillance. The government's response, however, is based on the need for physical protection against possible desecration, damage, encroachment and unauthorised access.
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