The Punjab Police DGP tweeted that he had taken ‘serious note’ of the unfortunate incidents
A second man was beaten to death in Punjab in 24 hours over an allegation of sacrilege, according to several media reports.
According to NDTV, residents of Nijampur village in Kapurthala district allegedly caught the man from a gurdwara early this morning. They claimed that he was seen “disrespecting” Nishan Sahib (the Sikh flag) around 4 am.
As per NDTV, a police team reached the spot and took the man into custody but the Sikh groups insisted he be questioned in front of them. The man was killed by the locals after a scuffle with the police, as per the report.
As per PTI, three policemen including a station house officer were injured in the scuffle. Police said there was “no visible sign” of sacrilege incident having taken place at the gurdwara, which is located on the Kapurthala-Subhnapur road.
The man’s age and identity are yet to be ascertained.
The Times of India reported that the gurudwara caretaker Amarjit Singh, in a Facebook livestream, said he saw the man discrespecting the Nishan Sahib when he came out for daily prayers at 4 am. “When I confronted him he tried to escape in the dark but was caught after some time,” the report quoted Singh as saying.
“He also said he was ‘sent’ from Delhi and a sister of his has been ‘killed for sacrilege’ at another place,” Singh claimed.
However, according to the police, the unidentified man was eating chappatis in the kitchen located on the ground floor of the Gurdwara complex. He ran away when a ‘sewadar’ spotted him, they said. After getting information about the incident, the police rushed to the gurdwara where the man, who was in his twenties, was kept in the room
Inspector General of police Gurinder Singh Dhillon said there is no visible event of sacrilege at the gurdwara. “Everything was found intact including the holy Guru Granth Sahib,” he stated. Senior Superintendent of Police Harkamalpreet Singh Khakh said the man had the intention of committing a theft in the gurdwara.
On the allegation of disrespecting the Nishan Sahib, Dhillon said there was also no visible sign of any act of sacrilege even to the Nishan Sahib but, “we are verifying the facts,” as claimed by the complainant.
A case under Section 295 A (hurting religious sentiments of people) of the IPC on the statement of Gurdwara manager Amarjit Singh has been registered, said Dhillon.
The Punjab Police DGP tweeted that he had taken “serious note” of the unfortunate incidents:
Meanwhile, the Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Sunday said a Special Investigation Team had been constituted over the Sri Darbar Sahib incident and would submit its investigation report in two days.
Earlier in the day, Randhawa held a meeting in Amritsar with the deputy commissioner, the police commissioner and other officials.
The accused spent a few hours at the “Parikarma” of the holiest shrine of Sikhs, Randhawa said, adding that he was “here with an aim”.
Meanwhile, Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi reached the Golden Temple on Sunday. Channi is expected to meet senior police and administration officials in the city.
Channi told Hindustan Times some “bad elements” could be behind Saturday’s incident ahead of the Assembly elections in Punjab next year.
“Our agencies are conducting a probe,” the chief minister was quoted as saying.
Channi appealed to the people to take due care and caution to protect religious places to “foil nefarious designs” of inimical forces or agencies. The chief minister said he was deeply hurt by the alleged sacrilege attempt, which was unfortunate and needed to be condemned.
If anyone has come with wrong intention, our intelligence agencies will try to nab and expose them, he said.
He said his government is committed to thoroughly probe the entire matter to get into the bottom of the case to unmask the “real conspirators” behind the act. At the same, the chief minister exhorted people to keep restraint by demonstrating their unflinching trust in the ethos of peace, harmony, brotherhood and religious tolerance.
Replying to a media query regarding possibility of recurrence of such incidents in coming days, CM Channi said the state intelligence agencies and the police force are pro-actively engaged to avert such acts of anti-social elements.
He also called upon the people to be vigilant and extend wholehearted support and cooperation to the state Government in maintaining law and order. Channi said no one will be allowed to disturb congenial atmosphere at any cost in the state.
The chief minister was accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and senior officials.
Also on Sunday, the RSS condemned the incident at the Golden Temple and demanded action against perpetrators:
On Saturday, a youth hailing from Uttar Pradesh was beaten to death after he allegedly attempted to commit sacrilege inside the sanctum sanctorum of the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
The man was caught by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee task force members. When he was being taken to the SGPC office, the angry crowd thrashed him that later led to his death.
“The man, about 20 to 25 years of age who had a yellow cloth tied on his head jumped the fence. The people inside held him and escorted him out to the corridor where there was a violent altercation and he died,” Parminder Singh Bhandal, the Deputy Commissioner of Police of Amritsar, said.
All CCTV cameras were being checked to know when he entered the Golden Temple and how many people were with him.
After the incident, a large number of Sikh devotees and various Sikh outfits slammed the SGPC for its laxity.
A heavy police force has been deployed around the SGPC complex at Teja Singh Samundri Hall in order to maintain law and order.
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