New Delhi- Leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) held a demonstration outside the residence of former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday, January 27 to protest the recent vandalism of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar's statue in Amritsar, Punjab.
The protest was led by Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva, BJP MP Yogendra Chandolia, and National General Secretary Dushyant Kumar Gautam. They condemned the attack on the statue and demanded action from the Punjab government.
The incident occurred on January 26, in front of the Kotwali police station on Heritage Street near the Golden Temple complex. A man, identified as Akashdeep Singh and reportedly belonging to the Scheduled Caste community, defaced the statue using a hammer. He also set fire to a stone-carved book representing the Indian Constitution that was placed near the statue.
The vandalism was captured on video and quickly went viral, leading to Singh's arrest by the Punjab Police. Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar confirmed the registration of an FIR and an ongoing investigation. The motive behind the act remains unknown.
BJP leaders expressed outrage over the incident and criticized the AAP government in Punjab for their silence. Virendra Sachdeva stated that the attack on Dr. Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution, was an attack on India's values and history. He also criticized the inaction of the Punjab police in the matter. Yogendra Chandolia echoed this sentiment and called upon Kejriwal to dissolve his government in Punjab, suggesting that his silence would be politically detrimental.
Dushyant Kumar Gautam suggested that the Punjab government was turning a blind eye to the incident because they feared alienating the Dalit community. He emphasized that the BJP would not tolerate such disrespect towards their leaders and communities.
The vandalism has sparked widespread condemnation across India. Political leaders and members of the public have expressed their outrage at the disrespect shown to Dr. Ambedkar.
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