Ambedkar’s statue ‘vandalised’ in Hoshiarpur; SFJ’s Pannun booked

A first information report (FIR) was registered against unknown persons after a statue of Dr BR Ambedkar was allegedly found vandalised on Tuesday. The statue was installed on top of a private building in Noorpur Jattan village in Garhshankar sub-division.

A first information report (FIR) was registered against unknown persons after a statue of Dr BR Ambedkar was allegedly found vandalised on Tuesday. The statue was installed on top of a private building in Noorpur Jattan village in Garhshankar sub-division. Pro-Khalistan leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun of the banned outfit ‘Sikhs For Justice’ (SFJ) has claimed responsibility for the statue vandalism on social media.

Pro-Khalistan leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun of the banned outfit ‘Sikhs For Justice’ (SFJ) has claimed responsibility for the statue vandalism on social media. (AP file)

Village sarpanch Shingara Ram denied any such incident, stating that marks on the statue’s hands were old, but Bahujan Samaj Party and Ambedkar Sena of India leaders took a serious note of it and demanded strict action against the accused. BSP leaders have even threatened to start an agitation if the culprits are not arrested within a week. The FIR has been lodged on the complaint of Ambedkar Sena general secretary Kulwant Singh Bhuno who said that he came to know about the vandalism through a video which is circulating on social media.

The video shows a hand cutter being used to damage the statue’s hand but the sarpanch said that there was no electricity connection in the vicinity. He said he had spoken to the NRI son of the deceased land owner at whose building the statue was installed and he had confirmed that the damage was old. The sarpanch said the panchayat was planning to shift the statue to a Valmiki Temple in Mahilpur.

Meanwhile, Hoshiarpur superintendent of police (investigation) Dr Mukesh Kumar said an FIR under sections 298 (injuring or defiling a place of worship) and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has been registered at Mahilpur Police Station against Pannun and some unidentified persons.

Garhshankar deputy superintendent of police Jaspreet Singh said that the statue had been cordoned off and the police were examining the video.

Garhshankar MLA Jai Kishan Singh Rori also visited the site and condemned the incident. BSP state president Avtar Singh Karimpuri has demanded an inquiry into the matter and said if the culprits were not arrested within a week, his party would hold a protest in Garhshankar.