Punjab: Dalit bodies, BJP take to streets to protest Ambedkar statue vandalism bid

Phagwara/Hoshiarpur/Ludhiana: Many markets remained shut in Ludhiana, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Phagwara, Moga and some other places in Punjab on Tuesday after Dalit organisations called for a ‘bandh’ against an attempt to vandalise a statue of BR Ambedkar in Amritsar.

The state BJP unit also held protests across Punjab.

Police on Sunday arrested Akash Singh, a resident of Dharamkot in Punjab’s Moga district, for allegedly attempting to damage an Ambedkar statue at the Town Hall on Heritage Street that leads to the Golden Temple.

A clip purporting to show a man attempting to vandalise the life-size statue became widely circulated on social media. The man can be seen climbing atop the statue using a steel ladder and repeatedly hitting it with a hammer.

Members of various Dalit organisations held protests across Punjab, strongly condemning the attempt to damage the statue on Republic Day.

Dalit organisations had on Monday called for a bandh at many places against the alleged vandalism attempt.

Protesters in Phagwara raised slogans against the state government, demanding strict action in the matter.

They assembled at Ambedkar Park in Guru Hargobindnagar, from where they marched to the national highway underbridge.

They blocked service roads, resulting in traffic disruption. Traffic was later diverted to alternative routes.

All markets, business establishments and academic institutions were shut in wake of the bandh call. The protesters also demanded prosecution of the accused under the National Security Act.

They organised a rally and demanded a thorough probe into any alleged conspiracy behind the incident which, they said, was aimed at vitiating peace and harmony of Punjab.

The protesters were also seen roaming the city to ensure that all shops remained closed.

Police personnel were deployed in large numbers in view of the strike call.

In Hoshiarpur, members of Dalit communities took out protest marches.