Punjab: Tension in Phillaur after SFJ vandalises glass around Ambedkar statue 

Tension gripped Nangal village in Phillaur sub division of Jalandhar district on Monday after the banned terror outfit, Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), disfigured the protective glass installed around the statue of BR Ambedkar, the architect of the Constitution of India.

Police said the incident came to light in the morning when pro-Khalistan and anti-Constitution slogans were found spray-painted on the glass shield by unidentified SFJ supporter(s). A banner was also put up.

SFJ chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannu took responsibility for the vandalism, claiming that “it’s just a trailer” and threatened to remove all Ambedkar statues from Punjab before his birth anniversary on April 14.

Jalandhar Rural police deployed heavy security in the village as members of the Dalit community gathered at the spot.

Deputy superintendent of police Sarwan Singh Bal said police are looking into the CCTV footage of the area to identify the accused and arrest them.

Amritpal Bhonsle, a local Dalit leader, said a 24-hour ultimatum has been given to the police to take stringent action against the accused involved in painting the slogans on the glass around Ambedkar’s statue. “This is not the first incident of its kind. It happened in Amritsar also. The Dalit organisations have called a meeting at Nurmahal on Monday evening to decide the next course of action,” he said.

The incident comes two months after a statue of Ambedkar, who led the Dalit rights movement, was vandalised on Heritage Street leading to the Golden Temple in Amritsar on January 26, triggering tension in the border state. In Punjab, Dalits (Scheduled Castes) constitute approximately 32% of the total population, a figure roughly double the national average of 16.6%. The Doaba region, including Jalandhar district, has a sizeable Dalit population and the move by the separatist outfit is seen as a mischievous bid to spark off social and communal tension in the state.

After the Republic Day incident when a youngster climbed atop the statue in Amritsar and tried to vandalise it, the authorities decided that all Ambedkar statues in the district would be secured with toughened glass to prevent any damage to them.