Latest news with #Ambedkar
The Print
8 hours ago
- General
- The Print
Result of law and order collapse in Punjab: BJP's Tarun Chugh on Ambedkar statue defacement
An unidentified person defaced Ambedkar's statue with black paint in Nangal village in Phillaur sub-division of Jalandhar district, police said on Monday. In a statement here, the BJP national general secretary alleged that such incidents are a result of 'the complete collapse of law and order' in the state. Chandigarh, Jun 3 (PTI) BJP leader Tarun Chugh on Tuesday condemned the defacement of a statue of B R Ambedkar in Punjab's Jalandhar, saying the incident is a direct assault on the Constitution and the dignity of marginalised citizens who see Babasaheb as their guiding light. Chugh said the incident is not merely an insult to a statue, it is a direct and disgraceful assault on the Constitution of India, principles of social justice and dignity of millions of marginalised citizens who see Babasaheb as their guiding light. This is not an isolated incident. Earlier, a similar shameful incident took place near a police station in Amritsar, he said. 'Each time such incidents occur, the Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government has chosen to stay silent. This consistent indifference and inaction expose the complete collapse of law and order in the state and reflect a dangerous apathy toward issues that affect the soul of our democracy,' the BJP leader alleged. 'It appears that Bhagwant Mann is either in a deep slumber or is too busy entertaining his Delhi boss Arvind Kejriwal and his political guests to notice what is happening in Punjab,' he said. Chugh said Ambedkar is not just an icon of the marginalised, he is the soul of India, the architect of the Constitution, and a symbol of equality, dignity and justice. 'If today, even his statue is not safe in Punjab, it exposes the glaring failure of this government and its lack of political will to uphold constitutional values,' he claimed. He asked whether Punjab is now heading towards a situation where even the ideals of social justice and harmony are no longer safeguarded. Chugh demanded the immediate arrest of the culprit and strict legal action in the matter. PTI CHS DIV DIV DIV This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
The Hindu
9 hours ago
- Health
- The Hindu
Education, health and food our government's priority: Siddaramaiah
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said that providing education, health, and food is the priority of the State government. He was speaking after inaugurating the centenary celebrations of the Kuruba credit cooperative society in Gadag on Tuesday. Pointing out that even after 75 years of accepting the Constitution, providing education to all was yet to be fulfilled. The Chief Minister said that education-organisation-agitation was the mantra given by B.R. Ambedkar, which should be followed by all. Even before the Constitution came into existence, a few visionaries organised the Kuruba community and established the cooperative society, he said. Mr. Siddaramaiah said that as the downtrodden and backward classes were deprived of the 'word culture', they remained socially and economically backward. 'The downtrodden and the backward classes were prevented from getting educated. Ambedkar's life struggle was for alleviating inequality and he realised that education was the main tool to achieve it,' he said. Underscoring importance of education, Mr. Siddaramaiah said if he had not got a teacher like Rajappa he would not have been educated and wouldn't have become chief Minister. 'That's why our government has prioritised education, health, and food. If the aspirations of Ambedkar, Basavanna, and Mahatma Gandhi have to be fulfilled, then everyone should get education and get economic strength,' he said.
Hindustan Times
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Tension after Ambedkar statue defaced in Phillaur village
Two months after a similar incident, a statue of BR Ambedkar, the architect of the Constitution, was vandalised at Nangal village of Phillaur sub-division in Jalandhar district on Monday, triggering tension. CCTV cameras captured a masked man defacing the statue and efforts are on to arrest him. Banned outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun took responsibility for the incident in a video posted on social media, claiming that the Constitution of India was 'responsible for the attack on Akal Takht (the supreme temporal seat of the Sikhs) during Operation Bluestar in June 1984'. SFJ activists had vandalised another Ambedkar statue at Nangal village on March 31. The administration had installed protective glass around that statue. Amritpal Bhonsle, a local Dalit leader, said the accused was caught on camera smearing black ink on Ambedkar's face before spray-painting anti-Constitution and pro-Khalistan slogans on the boundary wall of the nearby government school. 'It is unfortunate that the such an incident has happened again in the village,' Bhonsle said, adding activists of Dalit organisations are holding a meeting to decide on the future course of action. He demanded the arrest of the accused at the earliest and strict deterrent action. Deputy superintendent of police Sarwan Singh Bal said a case was registered against Pannun and other unidentified miscreants under Section 113 (terrorist acts), 299 (hurting religious sentiments) 196 (promoting enmity) and 148 (conspiracy to intimidate the government) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Phillaur police station. 'We are gathering CCTV footage from nearby areas to trace the route the accused took. He will be arrested soon,' the DSP said. On April 4, two SFJ activists, Sukhbir Singh and Avtar Singh, both residents of Nurpur Chatha village in Jalandhar district, were arrested for defacing the statue on March 31. The police had booked Pannun also in the case. Monday's incident comes four months after a statue of Ambedkar, who led the Dalit rights movement, was vandalised on Heritage Street leading to the Golden Temple in Amritsar on January 26, triggering tension in the border state. In Punjab, Dalits constitute 32% of the total population, a figure roughly double the national average of 16.6%. The Doaba region, including Jalandhar district, has a sizeable Dalit population and the move by the separatist outfit is seen as a mischievous bid to spark off social and communal tension in the state. After the Republic Day incident when a youngster climbed atop the statue in Amritsar and tried to vandalise it, the authorities decided that all Ambedkar statues would be secured with toughened glass to prevent any damage to them. Phillaur MLA Vikramjit Singh Chaudhary, who visited the spot, strongly condemned the act. 'It is an attack on the soul of our Constitution, our democracy, and the values of equality and justice that Ambedkar stood for,' he said. He added that the people of the region, whether Dalit, Sikh, Hindu, or Muslim, will reject this divisive and hateful agenda. 'We are proud of our shared legacy of resistance against injustice, not hatred against one another,' he said.
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Stoking unrest ahead of Operation Bluestar anniversary: Ambedkar statue defaced near Phillaur, terror group SFJ takes responsibility
Jalandhar: Two months after a Khalistan flag and graffiti reading "Sikhs are not Hindus" were placed on Dr B R Ambedkar's statue in Nangal village near Phillaur at the behest of banned terror group Sikhs For Justice (SFC), the statue at the same place was defaced with black paint, stamped with 'SFJ', and a Khalistan flag was put around it. SFJ general counsel Gurpatwant Singh Pannun released footage of the defaced statue on Monday morning, as he called for the blackening of Ambedkar's statues on June 6. He alleged that Ambedkar "weaponised the Indian Constitution, which is the backbone of the infamous Operation Bluestar". SFJ's bid to stoke communal flames comes ahead of Punjab observing the 41st anniversary of the Army operation at Golden Temple. Police cleaned the statue in the morning and started scanning CCTV footage to identify the perpetrators. Footage of a CCTV camera installed near the statue showed a man with covered face and wearing a cap spraying the black paint on the statue. Police suspect there could be more persons involved in the case. During the day, dalit activists gathered around the stage and protested against the incident. They also blocked Nakodar-Nurmahal road for some time. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Click Here - This Might Save You From Losing Money Expertinspector Click Here Undo On the night intervening March 30 and 31, a Khalistan flag and graffiti reading 'Sikhs are not Hindus' were placed on Ambedkar's statue at the same place at SFJ's behest. Later, Jalandhar rural police arrested two men — Sukhbir Singh and Avtar Singh from Nurpur Chatha village near Nakoda. Police also added provisions of UAPA in the case, as the accused received funds from abroad to vitiate the atmosphere in Punjab. Later, a new statue was installed at the same site. But it was defaced on Monday. Jalandhar Rural SSP Harvinder Singh Virk said a case had been registered. MSID:: 121573682 413 |Bid
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Tension after Ambedkar statue defaced at Nangal village in Punjab's Phillaur
Two months after a similar incident, a statue of BR Ambedkar, the architect of the Constitution, was vandalised at Nangal village of Phillaur sub division in Jalandhar district on Monday, triggering tension. CCTV cameras captured a masked man defacing the statue and efforts are on to arrest him. Banned outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun took responsibility for the incident in a video posted on social media, claiming that the Constitution of India was 'responsible for the attack on Akal Takht (the supreme temporal seat of the Sikhs) during Operation Bluestar in June 1984'. SFJ activists had vandalised another Ambedkar statue at Nangal village on March 31. The administration had installed protective glass around that statue. Amritpal Bhonsle, a local Dalit leader, said the accused was caught on camera smearing black ink on Ambedkar's face before spray-painting anti-Constitution and pro-Khalistan slogans on the boundary wall of the nearby government school. 'It is unfortunate that the such an incident has happened again in the village,' Bhonsle said, adding activists of Dalit organisations are holding a meeting to decide on the future course of action. He demanded the arrest of the accused at the earliest and strict deterrent action. A case was registered under Section 299 (hurting religious sentiments) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Phillaur police station. Senior officials of the Jalandhar rural police were at the spot. 'We are gathering CCTV footage from nearby areas to trace the route the accused took. He will be arrested soon,' a senior police official said. On April 4, two SFJ activists, Sukhbir Singh and Avtar Singh, both residents of Nurpur Chatha village in Jalandhar district, were arrested for defacing the statue on March 31. The police had booked Pannun also in the case. Monday's incident comes four months after a statue of Ambedkar, who led the Dalit rights movement, was vandalised on Heritage Street leading to the Golden Temple in Amritsar on January 26, triggering tension in the border state. In Punjab, Dalits constitute 32% of the total population, a figure roughly double the national average of 16.6%. The Doaba region, including Jalandhar district, has a sizeable Dalit population and the move by the separatist outfit is seen as a mischievous bid to spark off social and communal tension in the state. After the Republic Day incident when a youngster climbed atop the statue in Amritsar and tried to vandalise it, the authorities decided that all Ambedkar statues would be secured with toughened glass to prevent any damage to them.
