A glass around the statue of Dr B R Ambedkar, the architect of the Constitution of India was vandalised in Nangal village in Jalandhar’s Phillaur during the wee hours on Monday (March 31, 2025). The incident has drawn attention after the banned group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) claimed responsibility for the incident.
The statue, encased in glass, was found with Khalistani slogans across its cover. The inscriptions “Sikhs Are Not Hindus” and “Trump Zindabad” were written on the glass, while two flags, one saffron and the other blue, bearing similar messages, were taped to the casing.
Police said the incident came to light in the morning when pro-Khalistan and anti-Constitution slogans were found spray-painted on the glass shield by unidentified SFJ supporter. A banner was also put up.
Addressing the incident, Jalandhar SSP Gurmeet Singh confirmed the vandalism and stating that an FIR is being filed. “The statue was well covered, but some mischievous elements wrote objectionable things on it. We are working on a line of investigation and expect a breakthrough soon,” he said.
In a video, SFJ chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannu took responsibility for the defacement. He criticised Dr BR Ambedkar, accusing him of contributing to the erasure of Sikh identity through his role in drafting the Indian Constitution.
Pannu claimed that “it’s just a trailer” and threatened to remove all Ambedkar statues from Punjab before his birth anniversary on April 14. Jalandhar Rural police deployed heavy security in the village as members of the Dalit community gathered at the spot.
Sarwan Singh Bal Deputy superintendent of police said police are looking into the CCTV footage of the area to identify the accused and arrest them.
Amritpal Bhonsle, a local Dalit leader, said a 24-hour ultimatum has been given to the police to take stringent action against the accused involved in painting the slogans on the glass around Ambedkar’s statue. “This is not the first incident of its kind. It happened in Amritsar also. The Dalit organisations have called a meeting at Nurmahal on Monday evening to decide the next course of action,” he said.
Notably, on this year’s Republic Day, another statue of Dr BR Ambedkar was damaged by a youngster on Heritage Street in Amritsar sparking widespread outrage. The accused was arrested soon after he climbed atop the statue using a ladder that had been put up for political leaders to pay floral tributes. 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.
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 in the district would be secured with toughened glass to prevent any damage to them.
