Created By: Factly
Co-Published By: LokmatTimes.com
On 26 January 2025, a man named Akashdeep Singh attempted to vandalise the statue of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar near the Golden Temple on Heritage Street in Amritsar. He was seen climbing a ladder that had been placed to garland the statue, carrying a hammer. Observing this, security staff from the Tourism Department immediately apprehended him and handed him over to the Kotwali (Division E) police. The police confirmed his arrest, and a case was registered against him.
A viral video on social media claimed that the man responsible for the vandalism attempt had been beaten by lawyers in court. To verify this claim, Factly conducted a thorough search and discovered that the video did not relate to the Amritsar incident. A reverse image search of the video's keyframes led Factly to a report by 'Dainik Bhaskar,' which showed the same video from a different angle. This video was found to be from a separate incident that took place at a Raipur court, not in Amritsar.
The viral video, in fact, depicts a different individual, Ajay Singh, who was attacked by lawyers at a Raipur court. According to reports, Ajay Singh had allegedly attacked senior lawyer Dirgesh Sharma on 16 January 2025. Following this, lawyers filed a complaint, and the police arrested Ajay Singh. On 17 January 2025, when the police took him to court, he was assaulted while in their custody. An FIR regarding the incident in Raipur confirmed the details of the attack on Ajay Singh.
Factly also reviewed the FIR related to the original incident in Raipur. According to the FIR, on 16 January 2025, Ajay Singh had an altercation with Manoj Kumar Singh and Dirgesh Kumar Sharma at the Narmadeshwar Mahadev Temple in Raipur, resulting in an attack on them. Later, an additional FIR was filed against the lawyers involved in the assault at the court premises. In conclusion, the video circulating online, which claims to show lawyers beating a man for attempting to vandalise Ambedkar's statue, is unrelated to the Amritsar incident. The video actually shows an attack on Ajay Singh, which took place in Raipur. Thus, the claim made in the viral video is false.
This story was originally published by Factly and republished by LokmatTimes.com as part of the Shakti Collective.