Jalandhar/Phagwara, 28 January 2025: A total bandh was observed across Jalandhar district and Phagwara town in Kapurthala district on Tuesday, as Dalit organizations protested an alleged attempt to vandalize a life-size statue of BR Ambedkar in Amritsar on Republic Day.
Dalit groups called for the bandh, prompting the deployment of nearly 2,000 police personnel across Jalandhar district, including Kartarpur, Adampur, and Bhogpur.
Key sections of the Amritsar-Delhi national highway passing through Jalandhar and Phagwara were blocked by protesters, forcing authorities to redirect traffic to alternate routes.
Rural Senior Superintendent of Police Harkamal Preet Singh Khakh and Jalandhar Commissioner of Police Swapan Sharma were on the ground monitoring the situation to maintain law and order.
All schools, colleges, and public and private offices in Jalandhar district and Phagwara remained closed due to the bandh.
Protesters only allowed emergency vehicles, such as ambulances, to operate. Arun Sandhal, an activist with the Sant Kabir Tiger Force, said, “The protests and blockades will continue till 5 p.m.”
The unrest follows an incident on Sunday in Amritsar, where police arrested Akash Singh, a resident of Dharamkot in Moga district, for allegedly damaging the Ambedkar statue at Town Hall on Heritage Street near the Golden Temple.
A widely circulated video on social media showed Singh using a steel ladder to climb the statue and hitting it multiple times with a hammer, causing significant damage to both the statue and the Constitution book depicted alongside it. Singh was later apprehended by onlookers and handed over to police.
Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar described the incident as “unfortunate” and confirmed that an FIR was registered under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Read More: CM Vows Stern Action in Ambedkar Statue Vandalism Case
