Vandalism of Ambedkar's statue sparks tension in Gurugram village
Gurugram, Feb 23 (PTI): Tension gripped Kankrola village in Gurugram district after some miscreants allegedly vandalised a statue of B R Ambedkar in the Ambedkar Colony, police said on Saturday.
Following a complaint lodged by the villagers, police have registered an FIR under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act at the Kherki Daula police station.
According to the complaint, an employee of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) spotted the statue on Friday night with its head detached from the body and informed the villagers, who convened a panchayat on Saturday and informed the police.
"We're trying to identify and track down those behind the vandalism. The accused will be arrested soon," SHO of Kherki Daula police station, Satyender Singh, said.
Local Bhim Sena leader Satpal Tanwar said if the accused are not be arrested within two days, they will launch a protest.
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SP has ended contract with I-PAC due to fund constraints: Akhilesh Yadav
Lucknow (PTI): Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said his party has severed its association with the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) due to a lack of funds.
He dismissed speculations that the termination of contract was because of recent election results.
Addressing a press conference here, Yadav said the party had engaged I-PAC for a brief period ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections but could not continue the arrangement.
"Yes, we had an association. They worked with us for a few months, but we are not able to continue because we do not have that kind of funding," he said.
The I-PAC is a political consultancy firm known for managing major election campaigns across the country.
Election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor has also been associated with the organisation in the past and has worked with multiple parties, including the BJP and the Congress.
In a lighter vein, Yadav took a swipe at the ecosystem of political consultancies. "We thought that if we have to work with a 'winning agency', then there are several big companies."
He said that some people suggested conducting surveys, hiring another firm, keeping a social media company, and even engaging agencies for negative campaigning against other parties.
"There are one or two more companies whose names are not yet known. I can get those for you as well," Yadav said.
Yadav rejected the suggestion that the decision to end the deal was influenced by recent election outcomes in states such as West Bengal.
"There is no such thing. Do not ask questions based on baseless reports. That is not true," he said.
"This is not the reason for ending the agreement. We simply do not have enough funds. If you (the media) give us funds, we can hire another company," the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said.
