E-Paper
{Ambedkar statue vandalism} Athawale: Slap sedition charges against accused
Addressing a press conference, the minister said, “I demand exemplary punishment for the accused. A thorough investigation must be conducted to unearth the whole plot behind this henious act. I will also talk to chief minister Bhagwant Mann in this regard.”
Union minister of state for social justice and empowerment Ramdas Athawale demanded slapping of sedition charges against accused who vandalised the statue of BR Ambedkar in Amritsar on Republic Day.
Athawale, who reached Amritsar on Wednesday, paid floral tribute at Ambedkar’s statue and condemned the vandalism. Accompanied by representatives of local Dalit organisations, Athawale took stock of the situation at a meeting with senior officers, including Amritsar deputy commissioner Sakshi Sawhney, municipal corporation commissioner Gurpreet Singh Aulakh and commissioner of police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar.
Addressing a press conference, the minister said, “I demand exemplary punishment for the accused. A thorough investigation must be conducted to unearth the whole plot behind this henious act. I will also talk to chief minister Bhagwant Mann in this regard.”
“To prevent any such vandalism, all statues should be protected by the administration and police. Except the mayor, nobody should be allowed to approach the statue for paying tributes. No ladder should be used to pay tribute to the statue to prevent any such incident,” the minister added.
BJP seeks probe by
independent agency
Demanding investigation by an independent agency into the vandalism of Ambedkar’s statue, a delegation of senior leaders of the Punjab unit of the BJP on Wednesday met governor Gulab Chand Kataria and said the incident was a part of a larger conspiracy to incite unrest and deepen communal divides in Punjab.
The delegation comprised senior leaders, including Manoranjan Kalia, Som Prakash, Sushil Rinku, Kewal Dhillon, Anil Sarin and Fateh Jang Bajwa.
