Jalandhar, October 30: Former Jalandhar West MLA and BJP leader Sheetal Angural strongly criticised the Punjab government after an incident of alleged disrespect towards a statue of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was reported in Ludhiana. Angural went live on social media and questioned the government's response to repeated incidents involving the name, photographs and statues of the architect of the Indian Constitution.
During his live address, Angural alleged that incidents involving disrespect towards Dr. Ambedkar's identity and statues had been reported at different locations in Punjab, but the government had failed to take effective action to prevent their recurrence.
He said that Dr. B.R. Ambedkar played a historic role in framing the Indian Constitution and worked towards building a society free from caste-based discrimination and inequality. Angural questioned why several political leaders remained silent when incidents involving his statues were reported, despite invoking his name during election campaigns.
Referring to the latest incident, Angural claimed that Dr. Ambedkar's statue near the Ludhiana-Jalandhar Bypass was allegedly subjected to disrespect again on Friday morning. He further claimed that three such incidents had taken place at the same location over the past three months.
Raising questions over the security arrangements, the BJP leader asked why adequate preventive measures had not been put in place despite the reported recurrence of such incidents. He also questioned why police personnel had not been deployed to protect the statue.
Angural alleged that such incidents could be part of a conspiracy aimed at creating tensions between Dalit and Hindu communities and disturbing Punjab's social harmony. He urged the administration to take the matter seriously and ensure that those responsible are identified and dealt with according to law.
The incident has once again brought attention to concerns surrounding the protection of Dr. Ambedkar's statues and the need for a prompt administrative response to incidents that may affect public harmony.
For permission to reuse our original reporting or images, contact The Jalandhar Times.
