Man Arrested In Amritsar For Vandalism Attempt On BR Ambedkar Statue Near Golden Temple

Amritsar: The Amritsar police on Sunday arrested a man for allegedly attempting to damage a statue of BR Ambedkar at the Town Hall on Heritage Street that leads to the Golden Temple. As per the police sources, the motive behind the attempt is not known yet. The police have registered a case against the accused and are interrogating him. 

Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Sukhbir Singh Badal condemned the incident, calling it a "heinous act" which has hurt the sentiments of millions. He demanded stern action against the man and a thorough inquiry to ascertain the motive.

"Strongly condemn the attempt to desecrate the statue of  Dr BR Ambedkar ji’s statue at the Heritage Street in Sri Amritsar Sahib on Republic Day . This heinous act has hurt the sentiments of millions. I demand stern action against the culprit and a thorough inquiry to unravel the conspiracy behind this shameful incident. Let's stand united against such vile attempts to create divisions in our society," Badal stated in a post on X.

Earlier today, AIG Amritsar Jagjit Singh Walia had said that a few miscreants tried to tamper with BR Ambedkar's statue at Town Hall in Punjab's Amritsar on Republic Day.

"The motive behind the incident is yet to be found out," Walia said.

A purported video of the incident later surfaced on social media, where the man could be seen climbing BR Ambedkar's statue using a long steel ladder with a hammer in his hand. He could also be seen damaging the statue with the hammer.

Condemning the incident, BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh hit out at Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann over the law and order situation in the state.  

"Today on the pious occasion of Republic Day, BR Ambedkar's statue and the Constitution of India were insulted outside PS Kotwali, Amritsar, in broad daylight. This incident is condemnable. Punjab AAP's Bhagwant Mann government is in deep sleep. Punjab's law and order has deteriorated. The CM is busy with tourism while BR Ambedkar's statue is tampered with and the constitution is insulted. That too outside the Police Station at the main crossroads of Amritsar," Chugh said.