Thursday | Jun 26 2025 | 04:32:11 AM
New Delhi, May 26
The Punjab police have arrested a man for allegedly vandalising and spitting on a statue of Dr BR Ambedkar, making derogatory remarks and attempting to damage a replica of the Constitution near the statue in Hoshiarpur.
The accused was identified as Jagdeep Singh Matharu.
The police stated that he allegedly climbed the stairs leading to the statue with a cloth wrapped around his head. He allegedly spat multiple times on the statue, shouted that he came to break it, and claimed he did not accept Dr Ambedkar or the Constitution.
The man then allegedly took out a metallic needle, which is generally used to tuck hair under turbans, from his cloth and began scraping at the replica of the Constitution, which was made of cement and other construction materials, police added.
The accused's actions drew the attention of bystanders, who rushed to the spot and overpowered him before any further damage could be caused.
Hoshiarpur police registered an FIR against the accused under sections 299 (deliberate act intended to outrage religious feelings), 302 (uttering words deliberately to hurt religious feelings), 351(1) and 351(2) (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), and Section 3(1)(x) (act of corrupting or fouling water sources commonly used by members of the Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes) of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
