SAD seeks judicial probe into vandalism of statue

The Shiromani Akali Dal on Friday demanded a judicial probe into the vandalism of Dalit icon BR Ambedkar’s statue in Amritsar on the Republic Day.

The demand was made following a meeting of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) working committee in Chandigarh.

Senior party leader Daljit Singh Cheema said the incident seemed to be part of a “decades-long conspiracy to spoil peace and communal harmony in Punjab”.

He said only a judicial probe could uncover the masterminds behind this act.

The probe should be initiated at the earliest besides taking action against officials who failed to prevent the incident despite the whole state on high alert on that day, he said. The meeting was presided over by Balwinder Singh Bhunder.