Punjab BJP to hold statewide protests against attempt to vandalise Ambedkar statue

Chandigarh, Jan 27 (PTI) The Punjab unit of BJP on Monday said it will hold protests across the state on Tuesday against an attempt to vandalise a life-size statue of B R Ambedkar on Republic Day in Amritsar.

BJP state general secretary Anil Sareen strongly condemned the incident and sought an impartial judicial investigation into the matter. "Forces" behind the incident should be exposed, he said.

Police on Sunday arrested Akash Singh, a resident of Dharamkot in Punjab's Moga district, for allegedly attempting to damage the Ambedkar statue at the Town Hall on Heritage Street that leads to the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

A purported video clip of the incident was widely circulated on social media, showing a man climbing atop the statue using a steel ladder and carrying a hammer. He is seen hitting the statue multiple times with the hammer.

The man also caused damage to the Constitution book, which is part of the statue. He was later apprehended and handed over to police.

Describing the incident as unfortunate, Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said an FIR has been lodged under relevant legal provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. PTI CHS SKY SKY