Statues of folk dancers removed from Heritage Street

Amritsar Two days after Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh ordered shifting of statues of folk dancers from the Heritage Street that leads to the Golden Temple, the structures were uprooted on Thursday. The statues were removed using ditch machines and then loaded onto a tractor-trailer with the help of crane by workers of a construction company engaged in a beautification project in the city.

Amritsar Two days after Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh ordered shifting of statues of folk dancers from the Heritage Street that leads to the Golden Temple, the structures were uprooted on Thursday. The statues were removed using ditch machines and then loaded onto a tractor-trailer with the help of crane by workers of a construction company engaged in a beautification project in the city.

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A few Sikh organisations had sought the removal of these statues a few months ago with a few youngsters from the community vandalising these earlier this month. They had been booked for attempt to murder and there were protests against this. Sikh organisations also launched an indefinite dharna that was lifted on Wednesday. The Akal Takht had also supported the demand of the removal of the statues.

The statues had been unveiled with much fanfare during the inauguration of the Heritage Street, a ₹160 crore project, in October 2016. These have now been sent to the historic Gobindgarh Fort, to be stored in the custody of the Punjab tourism department, till they are installed at a new place in the city. Amritsar deputy commissioner Shivdular Singh Dhillon said, “The Punjab tourism department will find a suitable place for the re-installation of statues.”