Punjab policemen stand vigil near Ambedkar statue vandalized by unknown miscreants at Nurpur Jattan village in Hoshiarpur district of Punjab. | Photo credit: RV Moorthy
On the outskirts of the quiet village of Nurpur Jattan in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur district is a modest yellow structure. There is a statue of Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar in a glass case. On March 30, the statue was desecrated, sparking immediate outrage among villagers and members of Dalit groups.
The statue was repaired within days, but the wounds of the Dalit community in Punjab remain raw. Two police officers are now on round-the-clock patrol to prevent a repeat of the incident. Dalits saw the attack on the statue as another act of provocation to break the social fabric of Punjab for political and monetary gains. The same statue of an icon of the Dalit rights movement was vandalized last year.
Published – 12 Apr 2026 06:52 IST
