Jalandhar 5 November : A controversy surrounding a flex board displayed during the Bhagwan Valmiki Shobhayatra in Jalandhar has intensified, with members of the Valmiki community staging a protest against Deepak Bali.
On Thursday, members of the community, led by Soma Gill, gathered at Bhagwan Valmiki Chowk and burned an effigy of Deepak Bali to express their anger over the issue.
Speaking during the protest, Soma Gill alleged that Deepak Bali’s photograph had been placed above the picture of Bhagwan Valmiki on a flex board installed during the Shobhayatra. She said that Deepak Bali had been informed about their objection and asked to have the photograph removed. However, instead of removing it, a sticker was allegedly placed over the photograph on the flex board.
Soma Gill further alleged that when she raised the issue late at night on the day of the incident, Deepak Bali’s son behaved improperly with her. She said around 10 days had passed since the incident, but no action had been taken on the matter.
According to Soma Gill, a written complaint had also been submitted to DCP Manpreet Dhillon, requesting action in connection with the incident. However, she alleged that the police had not taken any action so far and that Deepak Bali had not issued an apology.
Expressing their resentment over the alleged incident and the lack of action, the protesters burned Deepak Bali’s effigy at Bhagwan Valmiki Chowk. They demanded that the complaint be addressed and appropriate action be taken.
Editorial note: This report is based on the details provided by the protesters. The police version and response from Deepak Bali or his family were not available at the time of writing.
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