Ludhiana: Youth Akali Dal leaders vandalise Rajiv Gandhi statue, Amarinder seeks apology

Gosha and Dugri accompanied by other YAD workers allegedly first sprayed black paint on the statue and then applied red paint on Gandhi’s hands.

Speaking to The Indian Express after the incident, Gosha said, “Whatever we did, we take full responsibility for it. This wasn’t an act coming out of immaturity but a conscious and well-thought one. It was to express our own sentiments as Sikhs and the pain that we felt when thousands of Sikhs were massacred in 1984 at the behest of Gandhi family. Our party leader, Sukhbir Badal, has nothing to do with today’s incident. It was our decision. When role of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar has been established in the massacre of Sikhs, then how can Congress hide the Gandhis? It is very clear that Rajiv Gandhi was well aware of what his party leaders were doing when they massacred Sikhs.”

Congress leaders led by MP Ravneet Bittu cleaned and garlanded the statue. (Express photo)

After the incident, Congress Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu reached the spot and cleaned statue with milk and water. He said that police will take strictest possible action against YAD leaders who defaced statue of Rajiv Gandhi.
High drama was witnessed when another local Congress leader Gursimran Singh Mand reached spot and started cleaning statue using his dastar (turban cloth), taking it off from his head.

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh in a tweet ordered police to take strict action and said that former deputy CM and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal should apologise for ‘obnoxious’ act done by his party members.

Later, in a press statement issued by Chief Minister’s Office, the CM said, “Only a handful of Congress, BJP and RSS workers were involved in violence against the Sikh community in 1984 and the judiciary was proceeding to act against them. Sajjan Kumar has already been sentenced to life term by the court and others involved in the perpetration of the riots would also face legal action. Akalis are well aware of the fact that the Gandhis were never named or implicated in the 1984 riots, yet they continued to drag the family into the case to further their own
political agenda.”

WATCH: Two workers of Youth Akali Dal (youth wing of SAD) vandalise and blacken a statue of Rajiv Gandhi in Salem Tabri area of Ludhiana.
Read more: https://t.co/Zuh8EFlBG7 pic.twitter.com/xbal74bEpx

— The Indian Express (@IndianExpress) December 25, 2018

Meanwhile, the police registered an FIR against YAD leaders Gosha, Dugri and seven to eight other unidentified YAD workers and booked them under non-bailable offence of promoting enmity between different groups.

Gurdeep Gosha and Meetpal Dugri in Ludhiana Tuesday. (Express photo: Gurmeet Singh)

The FIR was registered under the Sections 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion, race etc.), Section 68 of Information Technology Act (for circulating offensive material on social media) and Section 3 of Punjab Prevention of Defacement of Property Act on the statement of Gagandeep Singh, Zonal Junior Engineer of Ludhiana Municipal Corporation. Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Ashwani Kapoor said, “Gurdeep Gosha has been arrested. Other accused are being identified. Dugri is yet to be arrested.”