New Delhi, Jan 27 (IANS): BJP leaders, including Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva, BJP MP Yogendra Chandolia, and National General Secretary Dushyant Kumar Gautam, staged a protest outside the residence of former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over vandalisation of Dr Ambedkar's statue in Amritsar, Punjab.
The leaders condemned the attack on the statue and declared that they would not tolerate such acts of disrespect.
Speaking to IANS, Virendra Sachdeva, the Delhi BJP President, expressed outrage over the incident, stating, “In Amritsar, Punjab, an attack was carried out on the statue of Baba Saheb Ambedkar in front of the Kotwali police station. This happened on Republic Day, a day when India celebrates its Constitution. Yet an attack was made on the very creator of the Constitution. The AAP government in Punjab is sitting silently, while the police there are doing nothing. We will not tolerate this attack on our values and history.”
Yogendra Chandolia also condemned the vandalism, saying, “Arvind Kejriwal should feel the same outrage. He should dissolve his government in Punjab, as his silence on this matter will only cost him more politically.”
Dushyant Kumar Gautam, suggested that the incident was part of a deliberate attempt to distance Kejriwal’s government from Dalit communities.
He said, “The Kejriwal government is turning a blind eye to this because they know the Dalit community will not support them. We will never tolerate such humiliation against our leaders and communities.”
The incident took place on January 26, when Akashdeep Singh, reportedly from the Scheduled Caste community, defaced Dr Ambedkar’s statue on Heritage Street near the Golden Temple complex.
A viral video of the act led to his swift arrest by the Punjab Police. According to the police, Singh used a hammer to damage the statue and set fire to a stone-carved book representing the Indian Constitution placed near the statue. The exact motive behind the act is still under investigation.
Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar confirmed that a First Information Report (FIR) has been registered and that an investigation is ongoing to determine the full extent of the incident and its underlying reasons.
The vandalism has sparked widespread outrage across the nation, with political leaders, including those from the BJP, and members of the public expressing their strong condemnation of the disrespect shown to Dr Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution.