Punjab: 19-Year-Old Beaten To Death Over 'Sacrilege' At Ferozepur Gurdwara, Father Says He Was 'Mentally Disturbed'

Punjab Sacrilege Incident: Bakshish Singh, a resident of Talli Gulam village, allegedly tore some pages of the Guru Granth Sahib after entering the premises of a gurdwara in Bandala village of Punjab.

Image is used for representational purpose only | 19-year-old boy was beaten to death amidst alleged gurdwara sacrilege controversy. ( Image Source :Getty images )

Punjab Sacrilege Incident: A 19-year-old individual was beaten to death on Saturday after an alleged sacrilege incident that took place at a gurdwara in Punjab's Ferozepur, police said. As per police, Bakshish Singh, a resident of Talli Gulam village, allegedly tore some pages of the Guru Granth Sahib after entering the premises of a gurdwara in Bandala village of Punjab. Bakshish's father Lakhwinder Singh highlighted that his son was suffering from a mental health issue and was undergoing treatment for the same, news agency PTI reported.

Police have filed an FIR against the deceased for the alleged sacrilege, But, Lakhwinder Singh urged the police to register a case against those responsible for his son's demise.

Police claim that after tearing several pages from the Guru Granth Sahib, Bakshish attempted to run away. He was apprehended by some, and when word of the purported incident spread, the villagers gathered at the gurdwara and started beating the young man. Later, he passed away from his wounds, PTI reported.

Senior police officials, including Senior Superintendent of Police Saumya Mishra, reached the village as soon as they received the information about the incident.

FIR Against 19-Year-Old Deceased

An FIR was registered against 19-year-old individual Bakshish Singh under Section 295-A of the Indian Penal Code at the Arif Ke Police Station, based on a complaint lodged by Lakhvir Singh, chairman of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Committee.

Expressing his anguish, Bakshish's father Lakhwinder reiterated that his son had been mentally disturbed "for the last few years and has been undergoing treatment. The police should also register an FIR against those who killed his son," he said, PTI reported.

Meanwhile, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh expressed his distress over the sacrilege incident in Ferozepur.

He underlined Bakshish's death as a response to the "failure to punish the culprits and give exemplary punishments by law." Besides, the Jathedar has also requested the Sikh 'Sangat' to socially and religiously boycott the family of the accused and not to allow the last rites.

Singh claimed in a statement that there has been a "well-planned conspiracy" behind the Guru Granth Sahib sacrilege incidents for a considerable amount of time.

He claimed that neither the government's laws nor their enforcement are effectively curtailing sacrilegious acts nor punishing their perpetrators.

He outlined that the sacrilege in Ferozepur is a very unfortunate incident that has hurt the religious sentiments of Sikhs. "For Sikhs, there is nothing above Sri Guru Granth Sahib and incidents of sacrilege badly harm the soul and mentality of Sikhs," he said, PTI reported.

The Jathedar of the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, stated that when the rule of law "fails miserably in performing its duty", then people do justice in their own way.