Kapurthala: Man beaten to death over sacrilege allegations; preliminary probe suggests theft, say police

Aparna Banerji
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, December 19

A day after the death of a youth after an attempt at sacrilege at the Darbar Sahib last evening, a man was lynched by the villagers of Nizmapur village at Kapurthala in the wee hours of Sunday after he allegedly caused disrespect to local Nishan Sahib at the village Gurdwara Sahib.

The Kapurthala police claim as per investigations so far it appears to be a case of theft and the police is further verifying into the allegations of sacrilege.

An FIR has been lodged against four to five named persons and about a 100 unidentified people at the Subhanpur police station under Section 295A of the IPC.

Gurdwara management has alleged the youth was attempting sacrilege at the gurdwara.

As per witness reports and the police, at 4 am this morning the gurdwara members of the local Gurdwara Sahib at Nizampur village saw a man allegedly disrespecting the Nishan Sahib of the gurdwara.

On being seen, the man fled and the sewadars began looking for him. He was found by one of the sewadars wearing their jacket in an attempt to hide.

Caught by them he was taken to a room of the gurdwara where he was beaten up by a mob and a live video of the event was also shot which was shared on the internet.

It was at 6.30 am that the police reached the spot and heated exchanges with local villagers and religious groups ensued.

While the police tried to take the man into custody, the police said the mob was adamant on “teaching a lesson” to him.

Alleged sacrilege attempt at Golden Temple: Police register case; suspect’s identity still unknown

The police officials said repeated attempts to get the man in custody failed as the villagers were adamant at not letting him go.

In the heated exchanges and scuffle which ensued, three police personnel were injured and the turbans of some also came off.

Irate residents once again broke doors of the room where the man was locked and continued beating him until he died.

Notably, after the youth was caught and taken to the room, gurdwara members thrashed him while making a live video of the same.

As per police officials as well, by the time the police reached, at least 200 people had already reached the spot. 

In the viral video of the incident, a Sikh man is seen thrashing the man.

SSP Kapurthala, Harkamalpreet Singh Khakh said, “We reached at 6.30 am and there were at least 150 to 200 people already present. While we tried our best to get the man out and to at least know the motives of his act, the villagers and locals did not relent. While he had been beaten up since morning, 80 per cent of the injuries had already been sustained. In our presence, members of the mob again broken open the window of the room where he was kept and began beating him. The police personnel were also manhandled by the crowds and three of our men were also injured.”

The SSP added, “At 4 am the gurdwara functionaries saw a man touching the Nishan Sahib. As per the investigation so far, sacrilege has not been established as a motive and it seems theft was the intent of the incident. Further probe is on. An FIR under Sections 305 and 295A of the IPC has been lodged against four to five named and 100 unidentified persons.”

While IG Jalandhar Range Gurinder Singh Dhillon also addressed a press conference on the issue, he maintained that it was not a case of sacrilege.

Interestingly, the IG first said two FIRs (number 206 and 305 had been lodged) but later maintained only one FIR had been lodged.

Additionally, the police also did not include Section 302 of the IPC in the sections of the FIR until the filing of the report.

Key police personnel maintained sections will be added after detailed investigation. Despite repeated questions by the media, the police haven’t disclosed the names of the four persons who have been named in the FIR.

Sarpanch of the Nizampur village, Surinder Singh said, “The man had absolutely come to conduct sacrilege. His intention was not theft. He unfurled the Nishan Sahib and fiddled with it and then entered the gurdwara store. He was seen by Gurdwara Granthi Amarjit Singh when he got up. After that Amarjit Singh, along with local sewadars caught and tied him up in the gurdwara store where he was beaten up. We tried asking him where he came from, from but he only said he had come from Delhi. No further disclosures were made by him. We cannot tolerate someone playing with our religious feelings, we have had six years of people getting away with sacrilege. Unless caught by the granthi, we have no idea what more damages the man would have done.”   

Religious groups and villagers also held a dharna outside the police station after some Nizampur villagers were apprehended by police. But they were later let off. 

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

— DGP Punjab Police (@DGPPunjabPolice) December 19, 2021