Punjab: Man Beaten To Death In Kapurthala For Alleged Sacrilege Attempt, Second Case In Two Days

The incident comes day after a man was beaten to death for an alleged sacrilege bid at the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

Representative Photo: Getty Images

New Delhi: Another person was killed for allegedly disrespecting 'Nishan Sahib' (Sikh religious flag) at a gurdwara in Punjab's Kapurthala on Sunday morning, news agency PTI reported.

The incident comes day after a man was beaten to death for an alleged sacrilege bid at the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

As per PTI, some residents of village Nizampur claimed that the man disrespected the Nishan Sahib and tried to run away but was caught after a chase.

According to police, the man was beaten to death.

The gurdwara manager, Amarjit Singh, claimed that he saw the man, who appeared to be a migrant labourer, trying to disrespect the 'Nishan Sahib' (religious flag) early morning after he came out for daily prayers. He said that the man fled but he was caught by the gurdwara 'sewadars' (workers) after a chase.

 Amarjit then went live on his Facebook page and made these claims while the police stated that he was trying to give an impression of the sacrilege attempt.

However, as perthe 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.

Villagers and members of Sikh organisations also assembled at the gurdwara complex and did not allow the police to take the man to the police station.

They forcibly entered the room, carrying some swords and 'lathis', and even scuffled with the cops.

Then they badly thrashed the man, said the police, adding that he was brought in a critically injured condition to the local civil hospital where the doctors declared him "brought dead".

Inspector General of police Gurinder Singh Dhillon informed that there is no visible event of sacrilege at the gurdwara. Everything was found intact including the holy Guru Granth Sahib, he added.

Senior Superintendent of Police Harkamalpreet Singh Khakh said that the man had the intention of committing a theft in the gurdwara.

About the allegation of disrespecting the Nishan Sahib, IG Gurinder 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, he informed.

He further stated that three cops including a station house officer were injured as they were trying to save the man from the unruly mob.

Alleged Sacrilege Attempt At Golden Temple

On Saturday evening, an unidentified man was beaten to death after he allegedly attempted to commit sacrilege inside the sanctum sanctorum of the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

The shocking incident garnered sharp reactions from political leaders, with Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi ordering a probe into it.

Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa held a meeting in Amritsar with the deputy commissioner, the police commissioner, the inspector general of police (border range), the Amritsar Rural SSP, and other officials, PTI reported.

A case was registered against the unidentified man late Saturday night under IPC sections 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and 307 (attempt to murder), Amritsar Police Commissioner Sukchain Singh Gill informed on Sunday.

He further stated that the footage obtained from all the cameras at the Golden Temple is being examined to collect information about the accused.

As per the police commissioner, the footage shows that the accused entered the Golden Temple at around 11 am on Saturday and slept for a few hours in front of the Akal Takht, the supreme temporal seat of the Sikhs

He added that the incident occurred after 6 pm and he had spent several hours in the Golden Temple before committing the crime.

The man jumped across the railings inside the sanctum sanctorum of the Golen Temple on Saturday evening, picked up the ceremonial sword, and reached near the place where a Sikh priest was reciting the holy Guru Granth Sahib.

He was caught by Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) task force members.

When he was being taken to the SGPC office, the angry "sangat" (congregation) beat him badly, which subsequently led to his death.

Deputy CM Sukhjinder Randhawa said that he had already spoken to the SGPC president and the Akal Takht Jathedar after the incident. He added that the man was yet to be identified.

"No mobile phone, no purse, no identity card or Aadhaar card was found from him. It has been established that he entered (the Golden Temple complex) around 11 am and remained there for a few hours until the incident," he informed.

He further said that CCTV footage from all the nearby as well as other areas of the city is being scanned to ascertain from where he came to Amritsar and from which location he reached the Golden Temple.

The police commissioner said the post-mortem examination of the deceased was being carried out and a viscera examination will also be conducted to check if he had consumed any intoxicants.

Political leaders across party lines condemned the alleged sacrilege attempt at the Golden Temple.

(With Agency Inputs)