A day after the statue of Dr BR Ambedkar, the father of the Indian Constitution, was damaged by a youngster on Heritage Street in Amritsar sparking widespread outrage, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday condemned the incident and assured of strict action against the accused.
“The incident of breaking the statue of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar ji on Heritage Street of Amritsar is highly condemnable and no one will be forgiven for this incident. Whoever is responsible, he/she will be severely punished. No one will be allowed to break the brotherhood and unity of Punjab. Instructions have been issued to the administration to investigate it and take strict action against the culprits,” Mann posted on X.
Police arrested the accused soon after he climbed atop the statue using a ladder that had been put up for political leaders to pay floral tributes on Republic Day. After the politicians did so, the ladder was not removed and the youngster, Akash Singh of Dharamkot in Moga district, took advantage. He caused damage to the statue and the sculpture of the Constitution book.
Accused belongs to SC community: Police
The police said Akash Singh belongs to the Scheduled Caste. However, agitated members of Dalit organisations gathered at the site and started raising slogans against the police for failing to ensure the security of the statue of Ambedkar, who championed the cause of Dalits through education, legal rights and social reforms.
Seeking justice in the case, the Dalit organisations called for Amritsar Bandh on Monday. The members of Dalit organisations gathered at the Bhandari bridge and staged a protest. They blocked the bridge resulting in traffic jams across the city.
“A meeting was held with the Scheduled Caste community during which assurance was given to address their demand at the earliest. The Amritsar police are committed to ensuring a safe and secure environment in every possible way,” said commissioner of police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar.
Additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP), City-1, Vishaljit Singh said, “Today, a mischievous element attempted to damage the statue of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar at Town Hall. Acting swiftly, police registered an FIR and arrested the accused. If any other person is found to be involved in this case, they will not be spared. Further investigation is on.”
He added that investigation has revealed that the arrested accused belongs to a Scheduled Caste.
Punjab cabinet minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal and Amritsar South MLA Inderbir Singh Nijjar reached the spot at 11pm on Sunday to take stock of the situation and pacified the protesters.
Meanwhile, Dalit organisations have called for a bandh on Tuesday in Jalandhar and Phagwara over the issue. Several organisations staged protests in parts of Jalandhar and Phagwara on Monday demanding stringent action against the accused.
Sampla sparks controversy
Meanwhile, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) took strong note of former Union minister and BJP leader Vijay Sampla’s remark on the incident.
In a social media post in Hindi, Sampla said that the statue was situated in the ‘galliara (open walled space/corridor)’ leading to Sri Harmandar Sahib (Golden Temple). “Since this incident took place in the galliara of Sri Harmandar Sahib, the SGPC and Akal Takht jathedar should also issue a clarification,” he posted.
Partap Singh, the secretary of the gurdwara body which manages affairs of the holiest Sikh shrine, said: “The statue is not situated in the galliara of Sri Harmandar Sahib. It is near the Partition Museum and Kotwali police station, where the responsibility to protect it totally lies with the government and administration. Though the galliara also comes under the jurisdiction and control of the government, the statue is nearly 1km from the shrine. So, it is totally unfair for Sampla to link this incident to the Harmandar Sahib galliara.”
He said, “The Sikh institution gives due respect to Dr Ambedkar and strongly condemns the vandalism, but creating confusion in the sangat (community) by linking this incident to Harmandar Sahib is condemnable. Such baseless statements are unfair. Sampla should withdraw his statement so that confusion ends. Demanding a clarification from the SGPC and Akal Takht jathedar is wrong.”
Shiromani Akali Dal leader and former deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said, “Strongly condemn the attempt to desecrate Dr BR Ambedkar ji’s statue at Heritage Street on Republic Day. This heinous act has hurt the sentiments of millions. I demand stern action against the culprit and a thorough inquiry to unravel the conspiracy behind this shameful incident. Let’s stand united against such vile attempts to create divisions in our society.”
Condemning the incident, Congress leader and former minister Raj Kumar Verka termed it a sacrilege and said he along with MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla and other party leaders cleaned the statue on Monday.
Punjab finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema strongly condemned the incident. He said, “The accused has been arrested, and the Punjab government will ensure strict action against him. We will not rest until all the conspirators are brought to justice.”
