Chandigarh: Less than 24 hours after a man was beaten for death for alleged attempted sacrilege at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, another similar case of killing was reported from Punjab’s Kapurthala gurdwara on Sunday. The man was beaten to death for allegedly disrespecting ‘Nishan Sahib’ (the Sikh religious flag) at a gurdwara in village Nizampur in Kapurthala district on Sunday.
Addressing a press conference, Inspector General (IG) Jalandhar Range Gurinder Singh Dhillon, however, maintained that it was not a case of sacrilege, and an FIR under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been filed to investigate the matter.
“No visible sign of sacrilege at Gurdwara sahib. An FIR registered under sections 295A of IPC has been filed. Information about attack is with the police, and the identity of man killed being verified. If it appears to be murder then FIR to be registered accordingly,” said the IG.
He stated that as it was a sensitive issue, police used restraint. “Those people who managed to do this were more in number than the police. People’s emotional sentiments were high after the incident at Golden Temple,” he added.
Meanwhile, the residents of the village claimed that the man disrespected the Nishan Sahib and tried to run away from the spot.
Director General of Police Siddharth Chattopadhyaya said in a tweet: “I have taken serious note of the unfortunate incidents in Amritsar and Kapurthala. Any attempt to violate the communal harmony in the state will be dealt with a firm hand. Stern action will be taken against all those disturbing the law and order in Punjab #PunjabStandsTogether.”
The Kapurthala incident comes a day after a man was beaten to death at the Sri Darbar Sahib, popularly known as the Golden Temple, in Amritsar for attempting to sacrilege the Guru Granth Sahib.
Terming the sacrilege incident at Sri Darbar Sahib most unfortunate, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said a Special Investigation Team under the DGP, Law and Order, was constituted, and would submit an investigation report within two days.
Randhawa also spoke to Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) President Harjinder Singh Dhami over the incident in the Golden Temple. He said they would get information regarding each and every aspect of the incident.
The state government will inquire the entire incident jointly with the SGPC, said Randhawa, who also made it clear that the accused was not identified so far and his post-mortem is being conducted shortly. He said Punjab Police in association with the SGPC would ensure that the gurdwaras have its CCTV cameras, which should be fully operational.
Randhawa also issued directions to the DGP, all Commissioners of Police and the SSPs to strengthen round-the-clock security around all gurdwaras, temples, mosques, churches and other religious places.
Amid the repeated incidents of killing, Chief Minister Charanjit Channi on Sunday said the state intelligence agencies and the police force is engaged to avert such acts of anti-social elements. “People should remain vigilant and extend wholehearted support and cooperation to the govt in maintaining law and order,” said Channi.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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