The Valmiki community and other Dalit organisations have announced a shutdown in Jalandhar tomorrow in protest against the alleged tampering of a statue of Dr BR Ambedkar in Ludhiana.
The shutdown has been called from 9 AM to 5 PM.
The decision was taken under the joint leadership of Rajeev Gora, president of Bhagwan Valmiki Shakti Kranti Sena Punjab.
According to the organisations, the incident involving the statue of Dr Ambedkar, the architect of the Constitution, has led to anger among members of the Dalit community. Dalit organisations in different districts of Punjab are also calling for demonstrations and shutdowns over the incident.
In Jalandhar, the organisations have appealed for a complete shutdown during the specified hours, however, schools, colleges and medical stores providing emergency services will remain exempt from the shutdown, keeping the convenience of the general public in mind.
Rajeev Gora said the alleged tampering with Dr Ambedkar's statue was condemnable and claimed that this was the 10th such incident at the same location.
According to Gora, the glass enclosure around the statue had also been damaged during an earlier incident, he also said the organisations had then demanded that the administration install CCTV cameras at the site to prevent such incidents and identify those responsible.
Gora alleged that despite the earlier demand, CCTV arrangements were not made at the location, he also said that Bhagwan Valmiki Ji's Pragat Diwas is approaching and alleged that attempts were being made to disturb the atmosphere ahead of the occasion.
He said such incidents would not be tolerated.
The community also condemned the incident and raised questions over the security arrangements around Dr Ambedkar's statue, he alleged that some political parties could be behind such incidents for political purposes. These allegations were made by the community while addressing the issue of repeated incidents involving the statue.
The organisations said the Jalandhar shutdown was being observed primarily to protest against the alleged failure to immediately arrest those responsible for the Ludhiana incident.
The leaders warned that if the accused were not arrested soon, the agitation could be expanded to other parts of Punjab.
The shutdown is scheduled to remain in effect in Jalandhar from 9 AM to 5 PM tomorrow, with educational institutions and medical stores providing emergency services exempted from the call.
