Amit Jogi held along with 1,000 supporters before installing father Ajit Jogi’s statue, released on bail

RAIPUR:

The controversy over former Chief Minister Ajit Jogi’s statue deepened on Wednesday as his son and Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (JCCJ) president Amit Jogi was detained by police along with over 1,000 supporters in Pendra region.

Later, all were released on bail. Following a prior announcement, Amit Jogi and his supporters gathered at Jyotipur Chowk, where they attempted to reinstall the statue of his late father. However, the administration opposed the move, stating no permission had been granted for erecting the statue at that location. When police tried to intervene, tensions escalated, resulting in the detention of Amit Jogi and all his supporters. Speaking after his arrest, Amit Jogi told the media, “I have done no crime, nor violated any rules. This land belongs to me, the statue is of my father, and we are installing it at our own expense. The administration forcibly removed the statue, but we only want to reinstall it at the same place. If needed, I will take this to court.” The statue was originally scheduled to be unveiled on May 29, on Ajit Jogi’s death anniversary.

However, around 2 AM that night, it was removed by a crane—an event captured on CCTV footage. The damaged statue was later found in the municipality premises. At that time, Amit Jogi and his supporters protested and filed an FIR, but no arrests have been made. The attempt to reinstall the statue on Wednesday sparked fresh controversy. Supporters vowed to take the fight to the courts to ensure due respect for Ajit Jogi’s legacy. In a police operation related to the statue dispute, Amit Jogi along with 1,173 supporters were detained and held briefly in the temporary jail at Lal Bangla, Pendra. The police invoked Section 172 of the PNS Act but later released all on bail.