as alleged that the police forced him to make a false confession. "They forced me into it and told me if I did not accept the the desecration, they would force me to do so. They threatened to give me electric shocks," says Valmiki, after being released on Friday.
He was arrested on Thursday night and had on Friday confessed to defacing Babasaheb Ambedkar's statue.
Senior Superintendent of Police P C Meena rejected Valmiki's allegations. "He admitted to having damaged the statue in a drunken state along with two friends on Wednesday," says Meena.
Valmiki's release came after angry Dalits took to the streets, blocked traffic and damaged vehicles claiming he was "falsely implicated".
Residents of Ambedkar basti in Kakadeo where the statue was damaged, however, claimed Valmiki had not returned home and he may have "gone underground" fearing police action.
They alleged he was falsely implicated to protect the "real culprits" and the police probe was moving on the wrong track. Irked by Valmiki's arrest, they earlier went on a rampage, brickbatting several vehicles and damaging a private bus and a station wagon, says Meena.
He said a group also tried to torch a few but police reached there and prevented them, Meena said. Keeping in view the prevailing tension, a heavy police contingent was deployed in the troubled areas, he said and claimed the situation was gradually returning to normal.
Republican Party of India chief and MP from Maharashtra Ramdas Athavale was scheduled to arrive in the evening to collects facts about the entire episode before raising the matter in Parliament.
Dalit Panther Dhaniram Baudh has demanded a high-level probe into the incident. The desecration of the Ambedkar statue in Kakadeo triggered violent protests in several parts of Maharashtra and left four persons dead and over 60 injured besides evoking widespread condemnation.
Source : IBN
He was arrested on Thursday night and had on Friday confessed to defacing Babasaheb Ambedkar's statue.
Senior Superintendent of Police P C Meena rejected Valmiki's allegations. "He admitted to having damaged the statue in a drunken state along with two friends on Wednesday," says Meena.
Valmiki's release came after angry Dalits took to the streets, blocked traffic and damaged vehicles claiming he was "falsely implicated".
Residents of Ambedkar basti in Kakadeo where the statue was damaged, however, claimed Valmiki had not returned home and he may have "gone underground" fearing police action.
They alleged he was falsely implicated to protect the "real culprits" and the police probe was moving on the wrong track. Irked by Valmiki's arrest, they earlier went on a rampage, brickbatting several vehicles and damaging a private bus and a station wagon, says Meena.
He said a group also tried to torch a few but police reached there and prevented them, Meena said. Keeping in view the prevailing tension, a heavy police contingent was deployed in the troubled areas, he said and claimed the situation was gradually returning to normal.
Republican Party of India chief and MP from Maharashtra Ramdas Athavale was scheduled to arrive in the evening to collects facts about the entire episode before raising the matter in Parliament.
Dalit Panther Dhaniram Baudh has demanded a high-level probe into the incident. The desecration of the Ambedkar statue in Kakadeo triggered violent protests in several parts of Maharashtra and left four persons dead and over 60 injured besides evoking widespread condemnation.
Source : IBN