Kapurthala Lynching Case: Gurdwara Caretaker Arrested After Punjab CM Says No Proof Of Sacrilege Attempt

The man was beaten to death for an alleged sacrilege attempt in a gurdwara in Kapurthala earlier on Sunday.

Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi during a rally ahead of 2022 Punjab Assembly elections, in Ludhiana, Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021. (PTI Photo)

New Delhi: Days after the lynching of a man at a gurdwara in Kapurthala district created outrage in Punjab, a caretaker of the gurdwara was arrested on Friday for his involvement in murder. Amarjit Singh of the Nizampur gurdwara was arrested on charges of murder and attempt to murder, reports said.

The arrest came soon after Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi said there was no evidence of a sacrilege attempt in the Kapurthala incident.

"We did not find any sacrilege attempt in Kapurthala or any evidence to back it. One person ran the Gurdwara. This thing has moved to murder and the inquiry is on. The FIR (already registered in the case) will be amended," ANI quoted Channi as saying.

The man was beaten to death for an alleged sacrilege attempt inside the gurdwara on Sunday. The autopsy report had shown 30 wounds on the body of the man.

This took place a day after another man was beaten to death over an alleged desecration bid at the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

Taking potshots at the ruling Congress government in Punjab, Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal earlier in the day alleged a conspiracy behind the recent cases of sacrilege and explosion.

“There is a weak government in Punjab. They (ruling party leaders) are fighting amongst themselves. Punjab needs an honest strong government which can act against those indulging in conspiracies,” he said, PTI reported.

Asserting such incidents will keep taking place until a strong government takes over, Kejriwal reached out to the people promising an honest, strong and stable government that will bring the culprits to book.

The AAP chief, who was in Chandigarh, further said the person who attempted sacrilege at the Golden Temple must have been sent by someone influential to foment tension.

Stating that there were several cases of sacrilege over the last five years, the AAP chief said the weak government ruling Punjab has failed to crack the whip.

Slamming the ruling party on the drug menace in Punjab, Kejriwal said the Congress during the previous poll campaign had promised to wipe out the mafia within a month of forming the government.

“During five years, one FIR is registered and Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and State Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu are boasting about it,” he said.

The AAP chief also called the drug case against former minister and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MLA Bikram Singh Majithia a political stunt.