Confronting Divisive Forces : The Urgent Need to Counter Destructive Agendas in Punjab

August 9, 2025

Written by Sheena Sandhu

The recent spate of attacks on Dr. B.R. Ambedkar statues across Punjab represent a dangerous escalation in attempts to fracture Punjab’s social fabric. These calculated acts of vandalism demand immediate and unified condemnation from Punjabi society, particularly the Sikh community, which must recognize and actively counter the existential threat posed by such divisive agendas.

The Systematic Campaign Against Unity

The vandalism of Ambedkar statues is not an isolated incident but part of a deliberate strategy to sow discord between Punjab’s Dalit and Sikh communities. These acts involve spray-painting anti-constitutional slogans and threatening to remove all Ambedkar statues from Punjab, with perpetrators ominously declaring their actions as merely preliminary steps in a larger campaign. This calculated targeting of Ambedkar—revered as the champion of Dalit rights and architect of India’s Constitution— represents a direct assault on the values of equality, justice, and constitutional democracy that bind Punjab’s diverse communities together.

By attacking symbols sacred to the Dalit community, these forces seek to create artificial divisions where none should exist.

The Foreign Hand: Proxy Operations

Investigation into these incidents has revealed foreign orchestration behind these attacks. Arrested individuals have confessed to acting on directions received from foreign handlers. This foreign manipulation aligns with documented patterns of anti-national activities funded and directed from abroad. These operations have been linked to burning liquor shops, targeting political leaders, and radicalizing Punjab youth through social media campaigns designed to destabilize the region. This pattern strongly suggests external intelligence involvement in funding and directing these operations to weaken India’s social cohesion

The Diaspora’s Misguided Platform

Perhaps most concerning is how gurdwaras in North America have provided platforms for divisive rhetoric. Some gurdwara committees have banned Indian diplomats while simultaneously providing space for separatist propaganda. This misuse of sacred Sikh institutions betrays the fundamental principles of Seva (service) and Sarbat da Bhala (welfare of all) that define Sikhism. The diaspora community must understand that providing platforms to individuals who vandalize statues of revered leaders like Ambedkar directly contradicts Sikh values of respect for all communities and social justice. Guru Nanak’s teachings emphasized unity and equality— principles that such divisive agendas fundamentally oppose.

Punjab’s Response: Unity Against Division

The immediate response from Punjab’s political leadership demonstrates the state’s commitment to protecting communal harmony. Political p a r t i e s h ave a n n o u n ce d that volunteers would guard Ambedkar statues across Punjab, while Dalit organizations have rightfully demanded stringent action against perpetrators. This unified response across party lines reflects the deep respect all Punjabis hold for Ambedkar’s l e gac y. Howeve r, re ac t i ve measures are insufficient. Punjab needs a proactive strategy to counter divisive propaganda and expose foreign funding sources. The state must:

• Strengthen inter-community dialogue between Sikh and Dalit organizations
• Launch counter-narrative campaigns highlighting shared values and common heritage
• Expose the foreign funding behind divisive activities
• E n gage w i t h d i a s p o ra communities to counter separatist propaganda.

A Call for Vigilant Action The Sikh community, both in Punjab and abroad, must recognise that such actions betray the core values of Sikhism. The religion that gave the world concepts of equality, justice, and standing up for the oppressed cannot allow itself to be hijacked by forces that attack symbols of Dalit empowerment. Sikh organisations worldwide must withdraw all platforms from divisive elements. Gurdwaras that continue to host such figures are complicit in attacks on India’s constitutional values and the harmony between communities that share common struggles for justice and equality. The time for passive observation has ended.

• Punjab’s civil society, led by its Sikh institutions, must aggressively counter divisive narratives by
• Organizing joint celebrations of Ambedkar’s legacy alongside Sikh leaders
• Educating youth about the shared history of SikhDalit cooperation in social reform movements
• Exposing foreign manipulation of religious sentiments for divisive political goals
• Strengthening constitutional values that protect all communities equally The Broader Stakes

This campaign against Ambedkar statues represents more than symbolic vandalism—it’s an assault on India’s pluralistic democracy. By targeting a figure who represents constitutional values and Dalit empowerment, these attacks seek to undermine the very foundations of Indian society. Punjab, which has historically b e e n a b r i d ge b e t we e n communities and a beacon of composite culture, cannot allow foreign-funded divisive forces to succeed. The state’s Sikh majority must stand firmly with their Dalit brothers and sisters, recognizing that attacks on one community’s symbols are attacks on all.

The choice before Punjab is clear: stand united against those who seek to divide, or allow foreign manipulators to exploit religious sentiments for their anti-national agenda. The answer must be a resounding commitment to the values of justice, equality, and unity that both Guru Nanak and Dr. Ambedkar championed. Only through such unified resistance can Punjab protect its social fabric from those who would tear it apart from their safe havens abroad, funded by forces inimical to India’s progress and prosperity