Ambedkar statue vandalism in Phillaur: SFJ’s Pannun booked for stoking terror
Khushi Ram, a former sarpanch of Nangal village in Phillaur and district BSP in-charge, lodged complaint after receiving objectionable audio recording in which Pannun allegedly threatened to remove Ambedkar’s statue from the village.
Two days after the protective glass installed around the statue of BR Ambedkar was spray-painted with pro-Khalistan and anti-Constitution slogans in Phillaur, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the chief of banned terror outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), was on Wednesday booked for stoking terror and promoting disharmony and hatred.
The Jalandhar Rural also police invoked provisions of the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in the case registered at Phillaur police station.
The fresh FIR was registered on the complaint of Khushi Ram, a former sarpanch of Nangal village in Phillaur sub division and the district in-charge of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), after he received an objectionable audio recording on Tuesday afternoon in which Pannun allegedly threatened to remove Ambedkar’s statue from the village.
Ram said that the person in the audio recording sounded like Pannun and demanded the statue replaced before April 14, the birth anniversary of Ambedkar. The SFJ leader promised to pay ₹10 lakh to anyone “who accomplishes the task”.
“Pannun has again hurt the religious sentiments of people and has been trying to play divisive politics, which cannot be tolerated,” the complainant said in the FIR
SFJ activists allegedly vandalised the protective glass installed around the statue on March 31 by spray-painting pro-Khalistan and anti-Constitution slogans on it, besides putting up derogatory banners.
Phillaur deputy superintendent of police Sarwan Singh Bal said: “We are sending the audio recording for forensic investigation to check its veracity. Police have been appealing to people to guard against baseless rumours.”
The case has been registered under Sections of 113 (terrorist acts) and 196 (promoting disharmony, enmity, hatred) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act and other sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Pannun took responsibility for the vandalism, claiming that “it’s just a trailer” and threatened to remove all Ambedkar statues from Punjab before April 14. A case was registered at Phillaur police station under Section 299 (hurting religious sentiments) of the BNS against him and other unidentified person(s).
DSP Bal said the police have vital clues about the persons involved in Monday’s incident and the case will be solved soon.
Meanwhile, the state BSP unit, led by Avtar Singh Karimpuri, held a protest against the incident at Nangal village on Wednesday.
