40-year-old man booked on sacrilege charge in Kapurthala
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, August 17
Protests by villagers and Sikh organisations rocked Kapurthala on Friday after a 40-year-old man entered the Singh Sabha Gurdwara at Bhagwanpur and allegedly desecrated Guru Granth Sahib there. An FIR was registered against the person, identified as Hardev Singh of Dogranwal village in Kapurthala, under Sections 299, 331 and 305 of the BNS on Friday evening.
Granthi Sohan Singh reportedly found the gurdwara main door lock broken and upon entering, he allegedly saw a man taking out money from the donation box. Guru Granth Sahib placed there had been moved and its 5-7 “angs” (pages) were lying torn near the pedestal, he said.
The man was caught and beaten up by the people. After the police reached there, he was got admitted to the Civil Hospital, Kapurthala.
Meanwhile, a large number of villagers and members of various Sikh organisations gathered outside the hospital and held a protest there. The protest was suspended only after senior officials assured them of action against the man.
Having sustained serious injuries, the man was referred to a hospital in Amritsar on Friday evening.
Taranjit Singh of Bhagwanpur, who lodged a formal complaint in connection with the case, said, “Between 2 and 3 pm on Friday, a man broke into the village gurdwara that was locked then. When the gurdwara granthi reached there, he found the lock broken and the pages of the holy book scattered in the room. The granthi caught that man and villagers also reached there. The man tried to flee and fell on a grill, sustaining injuries. He was later handed over to the police.”
About the protest outside the Civil Hospital, Kapurthala, Taranjit said, “Irate representatives of various Sikh organisations protested for justice. The man hails from a village just 15-20 km away. Why did he indulge in such an act? We want the police to conduct a detailed investigation to ascertain his intent.”
Bholath police station SHO Harjinder Singh said, “The man was caught by the granthi and the sangat who alleged that he indulged in desecration. The man has been referred to an Amritsar hospital. Until his statement is recorded, nothing can be said with surety. The man is currently not in a position to give a statement.”
Kapurthala SSP Vatsala Gupta could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.
