Even as Punjab police arrested a man, who allegedly attempted to deface the statue of Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar in Punjab’s Amritsar, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday (January 26, 2025) found itself at the receiving end as the Opposition parties cornered the State government over the deteriorating law and order situation.
On January 26, according to a purported video of the incident, the accused was seen hammering the statue situated at the Town Hall on the city’s heritage street, close to the Golden Temple. He climbed up the statue using a ladder.
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Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said on Monday that the accused had been identified as Akash Singh, a resident of Dharamkot village in Moga district. He has been arrested and a First Information Report (FIR) has been registered.
“We are investigating the matter from all possible angles. The police team is trying to find out about any possible involvement of persons other than the accused. Initial investigation has revealed that Akash belongs to the Scheduled Caste community. A fair investigation is underway,” Mr. Bhullar said.
The accused has been booked under relevant legal provisions, including sections 299 (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion), 196 (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita among other sections.
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Meanwhile, a shut down was observed in Amritsar following a call given by outfits of Dalit communities as a mark of protest against the incident. Elaborate security arrangements were put in place by the police.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that exemplary punishment would be ensured to a person who had tried to cause damage to the statue of Dr. Ambedkar. “The State government is fully vigilant and committed to crush the nefarious designs of anti-social and anti-national elements who try to create unrest in Punjab,” he said in a statement.
The Opposition including Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), the Congress, and the Bharatiya Janata Party criticised the State government, blaming it for the deteriorating law and order situation. Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition, Partap Singh Bajwa, said, “The incident is a big failure of the AAP government and proof of its failure in law and order. Mr. Mann is busy campaigning in the Delhi Assembly elections and has left the State at the mercy of God. He is running away from his responsibilities towards the State.”
Senior SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema the incident has hurt the sentiments of millions of Indians worldwide, and it has yet again exposed the lawlessness in Punjab. “It is surprising that the incident took place at one of the busiest places of the city and that too on a historic Republic Day when the security arrangements are claimed to be maximum by the government,” he said.
BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh said there was a complete collapse of law and order in Punjab and a Special Investigative Team should be set up to probe the incident.
Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati condemned the incident, accusing the State’s AAP government of negligence as the reason behind the incident. She demanded immediate and strict action against those involved.
