Punjab CM and other political leaders condemned the incident and assured of strict action against the accused. Photo: For representative purposesPunjab CM and other political leaders condemned the incident and assured of strict action against the accused. Photo: For representative purposes

A day after the statue of BR Ambedkar was damaged by a youngster on Heritage Street in Amritsar sparking widespread outrage, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann and other political leaders condemned the incident and assured of strict action against the accused. “The incident of breaking the statue of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar ji on Heritage Street of Amritsar is highly condemnable and no one will be forgiven for this incident. Whoever is responsible, he/she will be severely punished. No one will be allowed to break the brotherhood and unity of Punjab. Instructions have been issued to the administration to investigate it and take strict action against the culprits,” Mann posted on X.

Police arrested the accused soon after he climbed atop the statue using a ladder that had been put up for political leaders to pay floral tributes on Republic Day. After the politicians did so, the ladder was not removed and the youngster, Akash Singh of Dharamkot in Moga district, took advantage. He caused damage to the statue and the sculpture of the Constitution book.

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) strongly responded to former Union minister and BJP leader Vijay Sampla’s comments regarding the recent incident.In a Hindi social media post, Sampla claimed that the statue in question was located in the ‘galliara’ (open corridor) leading to Sri Harmandar Sahib (Golden Temple). He suggested that since the incident occurred in the galliara of Sri Harmandar Sahib, the SGPC and the Akal Takht jathedar should issue a clarification.

Partap Singh, the secretary of the gurdwara body responsible for managing the Golden Temple, refuted Sampla's claims. He clarified that the statue was not situated in the galliara of Sri Harmandar Sahib, but rather near the Partition Museum and Kotwali police station—approximately one kilometer away from the shrine. Singh stressed that responsibility for protecting the statue lies with the government and local administration. He also condemned Sampla’s attempt to link the incident to the Harmandar Sahib galliara, calling it unfair and misleading. Singh urged Sampla to withdraw his statement to avoid further confusion, emphasizing that such baseless remarks were inappropriate.

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Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal leader and former deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal condemned the act of vandalism against Dr. BR Ambedkar's statue on Heritage Street on Republic Day. He called for stern action against the perpetrator and a thorough investigation into the incident.

Congress leader and former minister Raj Kumar Verka also condemned the act as sacrilege, noting that he, along with MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla and other party membersjilipark, had cleaned the statue in a show of solidarity.