Ambedkar Jayanti: Police Prevent 'Blue Flag' Hoisting at Udaipur’s Court Circle, Dalit Community Question BJP’s Saffron Flags

Udaipur- A heated confrontation unfolded late Sunday night at Udaipur’s Ambedkar Circle, locally known as Court Circle, when police stopped Dalit organizations and Bhim Army activists from hoisting a blue flag to mark Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s birth anniversary. The incident, which occurred around 9:30 PM, has sparked outrage among Bahujan groups, who allege discriminatory treatment compared to other communities allowed to display their flags.

According to Shankar Chandel, a Congress SC Cell leader, activists were preparing to raise the blue flag—featuring Ambedkar’s image and the Ashok Chakra—on a long pole near Baba Saheb’s statue when Bhupalpura SHO Adarsh Parihar intervened. “We had arranged a crane, but the SHO not only stopped us but also misbehaved with the crane driver and drove him away,” Chandel told The Mooknayak. Despite requests to allow the flag for just one day, citing its removal post-Jayanti, the SHO insisted on prior permission from the ADM City and SP. “He even called his seniors in our presence, but we were denied permission. It seems they were instructed to stop us,” Chandel added.

The blue flag, activists emphasized, carried no religious symbols, only honoring Ambedkar, the architect of India’s Constitution. Chandel questioned the police’s stance, pointing out that BJP flags and those of other communities—like for Vivekananda Jayanti, Hanuman Jayanti, or Parshuram Jayanti—are routinely displayed at city circles without issue. “We are being targeted because we are Dalits,” he alleged, calling the incident a painful double standard on the birth anniversary of India’s first Law Minister, whose Constitution underpins the nation’s legal system.

Chandel accused the BJP of harboring anti-Dalit and anti-Bahujan sentiments alongside its anti-Muslim stance. Referencing the recent Ram Mandir “shuddikaran” controversy involving BJP leader Gyandev Ahuja, he said, “They speak sweetly to our faces, but their hearts are filled with hatred for Bahujans.” He announced plans to submit a memorandum to the Udaipur SP and Collector on April 15 to protest the “discriminatory behavior.”

Ambedkar Circle, centrally located in Udaipur, is home to a life-sized statue of Baba Saheb, where Dalit groups traditionally hold rallies on his Jayanti and Mahaparinirvan Diwas. The flag dispute has cast a shadow over this year’s celebrations, fueling local tensions and accusations of bias against the administration. The Mooknayak attempted to seek quotes from ADM City Vaar Singh and Additional SP (City) Umesh Ojha but the officials did not respond.