Latest news with #SFJ
Hindustan Times
2 days 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
3 days 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
3 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.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Ambedkar statue defaced again in Punjab
JALANDHAR: Two months after a Khalistan flag and graffiti reading 'Sikhs are not Hindus' were placed on Dr B R Ambedkar's statue in the village of Nangal near Phillaur at the behest of Sikhs For Justice, the statue at the same place was defaced with black paint, stamped with 'SFJ', and a Khalistan flag was put around it. SFJ's General Counsel, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, released the raw footage of the defaced statue on Monday morning, while also calling for the blackening of Ambedkar's statues on June 6, alleging he 'weaponized the Indian Constitution, which is the backbone of the infamous Operation Blue Star .' He also pointed out that targeting Ambedkar's statues was timed to mark the 41st year of the army action at Darbar Sahib. Police cleaned the statue in the morning and started scanning through the CCTV footage around it. 'On 6 June 2025, Sikhs For Justice will carry out a coordinated campaign to deface statues of Ambedkar across Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh with black paint. This blackening is a direct message to the global Sikh community that the Indian Constitution — authored by Ambedkar — is the legal document that enabled the 1984 military invasion and subsequent genocide of Sikhs,' Pannun said. 'The Indian Constitution authored by Ambedkar legally reclassified Sikhs as Hindus under Article 25(b), which was the ideological foundation for the Indian Army's attack on Sri Darbar Sahib. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Switch to UnionBank Rewards Card UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo Ambedkar's Constitution was the weapon used by Indira Gandhi's regime to erase Sikh identity and justify state violence,' he added. He claimed that the statue defacement was aimed at exposing and confronting the Indian govt's constitutional and military crimes against the 'Sikh nation'. During the intervening night of 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 accused - Sukhbir Singh and Avtar Singh from the village of Nurpur Chatha, near Nakodar - in the case. Police also added provisions of UAPA to the case while claiming that the accused received funds from abroad to vitiate the atmosphere in Punjab. Later, a new statue replaced the old one, and it was defaced this time.
San Francisco Chronicle
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
S.F. Chronicle wins three awards in Society for Features Journalism contest
The Society for Features Journalism announced winners of its annual Excellence-in-Features Awards last week, honoring the San Francisco Chronicle in three categories for its food and arts writing. The Chronicle, which competes in Division 3 for the largest newspapers and digital publications, won first place for Arts and Entertainment Feature and Food Writing Portfolio, as well as third place for Food Criticism. The SFJ awards honor the best in features journalism — 'stories that illuminate everyday lives and the rich diversity of our individual experiences' — across a range of categories from criticism to podcasts and social media. Judges for this year's contest reviewed more than 1,000 entries across three divisions. Chronicle contributor Todd Inoue took the top prize for Arts and Entertainment feature with his story, 'How a UC Berkeley student went from making cringey TikToks to playing festival sets,' a profile of TikTok sensation Amanda Shultz, aka DJ Mandy, and the incongruous mixes that have propelled her rise. 'This story has all the elements of a perfect A&E feature,' judges wrote. 'It's descriptive, revealing and fun.' In the category of Food Writing Portfolio, which considers multiple stories by a single author, Chronicle reporter Elena Kadvany won first place; her selection of work included a profile of a baker facing a multiple sclerosis diagnosis and an interactive guide to scoring a reservation at the notoriously popular House of Prime Rib. 'Will I bribe my way into a reservation, or will I follow the frustrating timeline of the rule follower? This writer has the answer, no matter the question,' judges commented. SFJ also honored Chronicle restaurant critic MacKenzie Chung Fegan, who won third in Food Criticism for her review of Tadich Grill, 'The problem with San Francisco's oldest restaurant,' and an honorable mention for Food Writing Portfolio. These awards show the continued success of the Chronicle's features writing; in 2024, the Chronicle won four awards in the SFJ contest. The San Francisco Chronicle ( is the largest newspaper in Northern California and the second largest on the West Coast. Acquired by Hearst in 2000, the San Francisco Chronicle was founded in 1865 by Charles and Michael de Young and has been awarded six Pulitzer Prizes for journalistic excellence. Follow us on Twitter at @SFChronicle.
