Hoshiarpur, Sep 15 (PTI) A statue of Dr B R Ambedkar was desecrated in Barian Kalan village here on Tuesday, police said.
Superintendent of Police (Investigation), Hoshiarpur, Navneet Singh Mahal said the incident took place in the early hours of Tuesday when some unidentified persons allegedly threw stones at the statue installed near the grain market in the village.
The raised-hand finger of the statue was damaged in the incident, the police said.
A video purportedly showing the incident also surfaced on social media and is being examined as part of the investigation, they said.
The unverified video contained a purported claim of responsibility by Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who is associated with the banned outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ).
An FIR has been registered at Chabbewal police station against unidentified persons in this regard, Mahal said, adding that efforts were on to identify and arrest those involved.
Police teams are examining CCTV footage from the area and nearby locations to identify those involved, he said.
Mahal said similar incidents of alleged desecration of Ambedkar statues reported earlier in the district had been traced by the police.
In March 2026, an alleged desecration of a statue of Dr B R Ambedkar was reported in Noorpur Jattan village under the Mahilpur police station area.
A similar incident had also been reported there in June 2025.
Meanwhile, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Punjab president and former Rajya Sabha member Avtar Singh Karimpuri visited the village and the site of the incident and condemned the alleged attack.
Karimpuri announced that the BSP would hold a protest in Hoshiarpur on September 18, saying the demonstration was aimed at pressing the government and administration to take action in the matter. PTI COR CHS APL APL
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