Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar on Monday in his address divulged initial details that have been found out in Dr. BR Ambedkar's statute validation case. On Republic Day 2025 evening, a man climbed on a ladder and vandalised the statue of Dr. BR Ambedkar on Heritage Street near the Golden Temple complex, Amritsar. He was arrested soon after being caught by the locals. The accused used a hammer to deface the statue and burnt the stone-carved Constitution book in front of the statue by lighting inflammable material on it. As a result, the members of Dalit bodies made a call for Amritsar shutdown (Amritsar Bandh) to protest the vandalising of the iconic statue of B.R. Ambedkar on the evening of Republic Day.
Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar in his address revealed, "The arrested accused is Aakash Singh, S/O Bhupinder Singh hails from Dharamkot of district Moga. Our best officers are interrogating him. All types of evidence including technical is being collected. His mobile has been found. The investigation is also being done scientifically so that we can get to know whether someone is also involved in this or whether there is any big conspiracy behind this. All angles are being investigated. I assure the people of India and Punjab, that a fair investigation will be conducted."
On the calls of Amritsar Bandh Today, CP Bhullar said, "Brother who has called for Amritsar Bandh today, I tell him that we all are saddened by the incident and, therefore maintain peace in the region. I appeal to everyone to maintain law and order. The Police are ready to felicitate law and order and traffic. Aakash Singh belongs to the Schedule Community (SC). It has been found a Jathebandi had brought the ladder to clean the statue and organised a function in the evening. We will also investigate that."
Talking about Amritsar Bandh Today, the protestors (while writing) have shut down the Bhandari bridge, and therefore, shops have also been closed.