A statue of BR Ambedkar was damaged at Ghunna village in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur district, police said on Tuesday.
They said the incident led to disenchantment in the Dalits when they noticed the damaged statue on Tuesday morning.
"People blocked a road in protest against the incident. Police reached the spot on getting information and requested them to lift the blockade. Amid this, a scuffle took place between police and the protesters," they said.
"Police are searching for the miscreants who damaged the statue," a senior police official said, adding that the statue was being reinstalled with the help of the locals.
Police appealed to people not to believe in rumours, saying action would be taken against those responsible for it.