A man was arrested on Sunday for allegedly attempting to vandalise a statue of Dalit icon Dr BR Ambedkar in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur and the police registered an FIR in connection with the matter.
The incident came to light when passers-by caught the accused, identified as Jagdeep Singh, who tried to cause communal disharmony and vandalise Ambedkar’s statue in the city’s Model Town area. People then caught him and handed him over to the police.
Police were questioning the suspect about the intention behind his actions.
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.
Police urged people to avoid spreading rumours as appropriate action was being taken as per law.
Further investigation into the matter is underway.