Ambedkar statue incident: BJP panel visits Amritsar, lashes out at AAP-OxBig News Network

Members of a six-member delegation during their visit to probe the vandalism of BR Ambedkar’s statue situated on Heritage Street, in Amritsar, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025.
| Photo Credit: PTI

A six-member panel formed by the BJP visited Amritsar on Sunday (February 2, 2025) to probe the recent Ambedkar statue vandalisation bid.

Panel members, including Rajya Sabha member and Uttar Pradesh’s former Director General of Police Brij Lal, BJP’s Scheduled Caste Morcha national president Lal Singh Arya and former Union Minister Som Parkash, paid floral tributes to Ambedkar at his statue in Amritsar.

Speaking to reporters, Mr. Lal strongly condemned the attempt to damage the statue and said such incidents cannot be tolerated.

Also Read | Attempt to vandalise Ambedkar statue in Amritsar ‘shameful’: BSP chief Mayawati

Lashing out at AAP leaders, he said neither the AAP’s national convener Arvind Kejriwal nor Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann visited Amritsar following the attempt to damage the statue.

“Kejriwal speaks only lies. He is the biggest opponent of the Constitution and Baba Saheb,” Mr. Lal alleged. “This incident can never be tolerated,” he further said and added there is a conspiracy behind it.

Asked when the panel would submit its report, he said they will soon submit it.

Replying to a question, Mr. Lal said he does not see any possibility of the AAP government carrying out a free and fair investigation in the matter.

“There is a jungle raj in Punjab,” he alleged. “The government here has failed. We will never tolerate the insult to Baba Saheb Ambedkar,” he added.

The other members of the panel are party’s national spokesperson Guruprakash Paswan, Uttar Pradesh minister Aseem Arun and BJP leader from Ambala Banto Dev Kataria.

Police on January 26 had arrested Akash Singh, a resident of Dharamkot in Moga district, for allegedly attempting to damage the Ambedkar statue at the Town Hall on Heritage Street that leads to the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

A video clip purportedly of the incident went viral on social media, in which the man is seen climbing atop the statue using a steel ladder and carrying a hammer. He is seen hitting the statue multiple times with the hammer.

The man also caused damage to the Constitution book, which is part of the statue.