Ambedkar statue vandalised in Hoshiarpur village, probe on

According to police, some unidentified persons allegedly threw stones at the statue installed near the village grain market in the early hours of Tuesday damaging the face and a finger of the statue’s raised hand

Days after the desecration of a statue of Dr B R Ambedkar in Ludhiana, a similar incident was reported in Barian Kalan village of Hoshiarpur district on Tuesday.

Superintendent of police (investigation), Hoshiarpur, Navneet Singh Mahal said a case was being registered at the Chabbewal police station against unidentified persons. Police teams are examining CCTV footage from the area and nearby locations to identify and arrest those involved.

A video purportedly showing the incident has also surfaced on social media and is being examined as part of the investigation, police said. Mahal added that similar incidents of alleged desecration of Ambedkar statues reported earlier in the district had been traced by the police.

In March this year, an alleged desecration of an Ambedkar statue was reported in Noorpur Jattan village under Mahilpur police station. A similar incident had also been reported there in June 2025.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has announced a demonstration on September 18 against the recurring incidents of alleged desecration of Dr Ambedkar’s statues across Punjab.

BSP’s Punjab unit president Avtar Singh Karimpuri said it was the government’s responsibility to protect memorials dedicated to the architect of the nation. He questioned the security arrangements, saying that while gangsters receive security cover, memorials of national leaders remain vulnerable to vandalism.

Karimpuri said the September 18 demonstration was intended to “wake up the government” and press it to take stronger measures to prevent such incidents and maintain law and order.

The latest incident comes after Ambedkar’s statue at Jalandhar Bypass Chowk in Ludhiana was allegedly desecrated on September 8, triggering protests and shutdowns in several parts of Punjab.

(With PTI inputs)