Bhandari Bridge Blocked In Amritsar Over Ambedkar Insult, Protesters Raise Slogans

September 11, 2026

Amritsar: Bhandari Bridge in Amritsar was blocked on Friday over the alleged insult of Dr BR Ambedkar in Ludhiana. Members of the community sat on the road for around an hour and raised slogans including ‘Valmiki Shakti Amar Rahe’ and ‘Punjab Sarkar Murdabad’.

Punjab Government Effigy Burnt During Protest

Amid the road blockade, protesters burnt an effigy of the Punjab government to express their anger over the alleged disrespect to Dr Ambedkar. Emergency services were allowed to operate, while normal traffic was affected.

The blockade at Bhandari Bridge was scheduled from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. However, it began around 11 a.m. and the bridge was reopened after about an hour.

Police Barricading Leads To Heated Exchange

To prevent traffic congestion, police had installed barricades before the bridge and were seen stopping people from proceeding towards the area.

During the deployment, some police personnel were also seen arguing over the barricading. An ASI was heard explaining that the barricading had been ordered by the ADCP, while PCR personnel insisted that it should be removed and said they would get the traffic blockade cleared themselves.

Amritsar Shutdown Call Withdrawn

A day earlier, an emergency meeting of various organisations was held at the Central Valmiki Temple, where the call for a complete shutdown in Amritsar was withdrawn.

Representatives of the organisations said repeated shutdowns were causing significant losses to the business community. Keeping the interests of traders in mind, they said a complete shutdown would not be observed in Amritsar on Friday.