Chandigarh, Jan 28 (IANS): Taking into account the sentiments of the Sikh community which had taken exception to the statues of folk dancers at the Heritage City in the vicinity of the Golden Temple, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday ordered to relocate them in Amritsar.

The statues, installed during the previous SAD-BJP regime, had been vandalised by angry protestors on January 15.

Taking a lenient view of youngsters involved in the vandalism, the Chief Minister directed the Director General of Police to review and withdraw cases registered against them.

The actions of the youth were not malicious but a reflection of the pain felt by the Sikh community which felt hurt at the statues displaying 'bhangra' and 'giddha', being located close to the precincts of the holy gurdwara, he said.

The 'bhangra' and 'giddha' diorama was installed and inaugurated by the previous SAD-BJP government in October 2016 on the pedestrian path of the heritage street.

The protestors were agitating over the statues of the folk dancers, which they termed as violative of Sikh religious sentiments as they were installed near the Golden Temple. The statues were damaged by the protestors who felt hurt by them.

Following the January 15 incident, various Sikh organisations, including the Akal Takht, the Shriomani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), had come out in support of the accused arrested by the police.