At least six policemen and two other persons suffered injuries when violence erupted in Mawai Khatri village in Lucknow district over installing a statue of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar on the ground.

Some villagers from the marginalised communities had put a statue of Ambedkar on a platform built on a Gram Samaj (government) land in front of a primary school in the village three days ago. Some upper caste members had been opposing this.

On Saturday, youths from the upper caste community removed the statue from the pedestal and put it on the ground. As the news spread, a large number of men from the backward community attacked the other side, who also retaliated violently. The villagers also attacked the police when they went there to control the situation. The injured include the local police station in-charge Menaka Singh.

"...There is still tension in the village. We are camping here and trying to find a solution to the problem. Whatever is happening is clearly a caste war," said a police officer.