Siddharthnagar (UP), Apr 21 (PTI) A clash broke out between villagers and the local administration here on Monday after officials arrived to remove a BR Ambedkar statue allegedly being installed without permission, officials said.

Police said that the protestors resorted to stone-pelting to prevent officials from removing the statue. Some of the government officials suffered minor injuries.

The protesting villagers claimed before the media that the police hit them with lathis.

Bansi Circle Officer Mayank Dwivedi, the police and tehsil officials received information about an Ambedkar statue being installed in Samogra village without proper permission, police said.

Acting on the information, Dwivedi and the district administration team reached the village and tried to convince the residents not to install the statue.

However, tensions escalated when a woman from the Bansi area allegedly incited the crowd, leading to stone-pelting. Several government personnel suffered minor injuries in the ensuing commotion, police said.

The statue was removed from the site, and peace has been restored in the area. Legal action is being initiated in connection with the incident, police added. PTI COR ABN HIG