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Six held for vandalising Ambedkar statue in Punjab’s Batala
The DIG said that a total of 7 persons came to the place where the statue is situated, in two cars and damaged it before fleeing.
The Batala Police on Thursday claimed to have solved the case of vandalism of BR Ambedkar’s statue with the arrest of six suspects in this connection.
“Initially, the police thought that the damage to the statue was due to lack of care because a video recorded a day earlier showed that it was broken. When the police investigated the matter thoroughly using technical analysis and CCTV footage, it was found that the statue was vandalised on the intervening night of March 31 and April 1,” said Satinder Singh, DIG (Border range).
Accompanied by Batala SSP Suhail Qasim Mir and SP (D) Batala Gurpartap Singh Sahota, the DIG said that a total of 7 persons came to the place where the statue is situated, in two cars and damaged it before fleeing.
“It was noticed on Wednesday, after which the police initiated the probe. Of the total of seven persons, six have been arrested and produced in the court. Efforts are underway to arrest the remaining one accused,” he said.
This comes just days before BR Ambedkar’s statue was defaced at Nangal village near Phillaur in Jalandhar district. Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the chief of the banned terror outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), took responsibility for the act. SFJ activists allegedly vandalised the protective glass installed around the statue on March 31 by spray-painting pro-Khalistan and anti-Constitution slogans on it, besides putting up derogatory banners. Pannun was booked under Sections 113 (terrorist acts) and 196 (promoting disharmony, enmity, hatred) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act and other sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. A separate case has been registered at the Phillaur police station under Section 299 (hurting religious sentiments) of the BNS against Pannun and other unidentified person(s).
The two incidents come two months after a statue of Ambedkar was vandalised on January 26 on Heritage Street leading to the Golden Temple in Amritsar. A youngster identified as Akash Singh from Moga village climbed atop the statue in Amritsar and tried to vandalise it.
Tinu slams Pannun’s statement on Ambedkar
Jalandhar
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders including Pawan Kumar Tinu, condemned Gurpatwant Pannun’s statement regarding vandalism of BR Ambedkar statues.
Tinu along with other AAP leaders in a press conference said ‘fugitive’ Pannun has no knowledge of Ambedkar’s immense contribution to the nation, nor does he understand Sikhism, which promotes the well-being of all (Sarbat da Bhala) and treats everyone equally.
