London: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated a statue of Dr BR Ambedkar and paid a floral tribute to the icon of social justice and equality in London, as the final leg of his three-day UK tour was overshadowed by the deadly Paris attack.
Ambedkar, the father of the Indian constitution, had stayed in London in 1921-22 when he was studying at the London School of Economics. The building is located on King Henry's Road. The six-room memorial includes an exhibition and the chair used by Ambedkar.
Modi was accompanied by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to the memorial.
PM Modi's UK tour on Saturday was overshadowed by the devastating bomb and gun attack in the French capital, in which 127 people were killed. The attack took place on Friday night at three different places in Paris, the deadliest in Europe since the Madrid train bombing in 2004.
The style of the attack was similar to the Mumbai carnage in 2008, in which scores of people were killed by Pakistani Islamic militants.
PM Modi termed the Paris attack “an assault on mankind” and said that his heart is filled with sadness.
“My heart is filled with sadness due to what happened in Paris. Such incidents need to be fought by the united forces of mankind,” he said.
According to latest reports, the toll in the Paris attack rose to 127. French President Francois Hollande has announced a three-day mourning in the country.
