A statue of Dr BR Ambedkar was desecrated at Nangal village in the Phillaur area of Jalandhar by a man who has been caught on CCTV cameras, reigniting furore in various sections.
Another glass-covered statue of Ambedkar in the same village was vandalised on March 31 last. Banned terror outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) has claimed responsibility for both the incidents.
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun of the SFJ released a video of desecration at 9.15 am on Monday after which the police and intelligence agencies swung into action.
The face part of the statue was found to be blackened. The local police teams quickly reached the spot and cleaned the statue. Some scratches in paint on other parts of the statue were also seen.
While the statue desecrated two months ago was covered with a glass shield, there was no such protection for the statue desecrated this time.
CCTV cameras, however, were put up, which showed a man donning a cap and his face covered with a cloth spraying the paint on the face of the statue twice.
The police are trying to identify the accused from the available footage.
Pannun claimed the timing of the incident had been specifically chosen ahead of the 41st anniversary of Operation Bluestar.
Reacting strongly to the incident, Phillaur MLA Vikramjit Singh Chaudhary visited the site and condemned the incident, calling the act a “shameful and cowardly attack not only on a revered national figure but on the soul of India’s Constitution itself”.
“This is not merely the defacement of a statue, but an attack on the values of equality, justice and democracy that Babasaheb Dr BR Ambedkar stood for,” said Chaudhary, addressing reporters at the scene.
“To malign the legacy of the architect of our Constitution is to spit in the face of every Indian who believes in the rule of law and the dignity of every community,” he said.
Chaudhary emphasised that the intent behind the act was to provoke communal discord, especially between Dalits and Sikhs, two communities with shared histories of struggle against systemic oppression.
“The people of Phillaur — Dalits, Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims alike — firmly reject this hate-fuelled propaganda. We will not allow foreign-funded separatist elements to destroy the social harmony of Punjab,” he asserted.
The MLA has directed the local administration and the police to act swiftly and decisively, stating that no leniency would be shown to those responsible for the desecration. He said enhanced security measures had been put in place across sensitive areas of the constituency, particularly in the run-up to June 6, which marks the anniversary of Operation Bluestar, a date often associated with heightened communal sensitivities.
Other leaders, including Jalandhar MP Charanjit Singh Channi and Congress leader Amritpal Bhonsle, too are on their way to the site.
The Tribune
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