by KAPURTHALA: After an unidentified youth was hacked to death in police presence over an alleged attempt of sacrilege in a gurdwara near village Nijampur in district Kapurthala in the early afternoon on Sunday, senior police officials said that there were no visible signs of sacrilege but they would still investigate the allegations.
Another man beaten to death after alleged sacrilege attempt in Punjab
The youth was caught and confined in a room in the Gurdwara compound in the wee hours of the day.
Addressing a press conference later in the day, Jalandhar Zone inspector general Gurinder Singh Dhillon and Kapurthala SSP H P S Khakh said that everything was intact in the room where Bir of Guru Granth Sahib was being kept and there were no visible sign of sacrilege anywhere. They said that from preliminary observations it appeared to be a case of theft as the youth was wearing two jackets which he picked up from a room on the ground floor of the building where gurdwara caretaker Amarjit Singh lived with his family and aides.
IG said that the deceased youth appeared to be a migrant but his identity could not be known till late evening.
“Our officers tried to negotiate with the enraged mob to take the suspect away but with latest incident at Darbar Sahib, emotions were running high and police were using restraint to avoid any violent clash. Amid the melee a group of persons managed to attack the suspect,” he said.
IG Dhillon also informed that three police officials, one SHO and two ASIs also sustained injuries as a group of Sikh youths broke into the room where suspect was kept to attack him with their swords while the policemen tried to save him.
They said that FIR of sacrilege has already been registered against the deceased. Other subsequent events were still being examined and further proceeding was yet to be decided.
In a separate video of suspect’s questioning by gurdwara caretaker Amarjit Singh and others in presence of SGPC member Jarnail Singh Dogranwala which came out in the evening, the former could be heard saying that when he got up, he heard some noise from upstairs but later saw that the suspect was making tea and heating up chapatis. They could be seen questioning him about his name and other particulars but the nothing could come out clearly even as one is heard saying that he was saying Gopalganj.
Dogranwala, who reached the gurdwara at 9AM, said that from questioning the suspect it seemed that he was from Bihar. “He was shell-shocked and could not tell anything clearly about his particulars. I had urged Amarjit and others to hand him over to police but the others who were there opposed this,” he said.
Police had detained gurdwara caretaker Amarjit Singh, who had exhorted people in his FB live to rush to the gurdwara while raising alarm of attempt of sacrilege, but he was released after Sikh groups staged protest near gurdwara and blocked the road.
Another man beaten to death after alleged sacrilege attempt in Punjab
The youth was caught and confined in a room in the Gurdwara compound in the wee hours of the day.
Addressing a press conference later in the day, Jalandhar Zone inspector general Gurinder Singh Dhillon and Kapurthala SSP H P S Khakh said that everything was intact in the room where Bir of Guru Granth Sahib was being kept and there were no visible sign of sacrilege anywhere. They said that from preliminary observations it appeared to be a case of theft as the youth was wearing two jackets which he picked up from a room on the ground floor of the building where gurdwara caretaker Amarjit Singh lived with his family and aides.
IG said that the deceased youth appeared to be a migrant but his identity could not be known till late evening.
“Our officers tried to negotiate with the enraged mob to take the suspect away but with latest incident at Darbar Sahib, emotions were running high and police were using restraint to avoid any violent clash. Amid the melee a group of persons managed to attack the suspect,” he said.
IG Dhillon also informed that three police officials, one SHO and two ASIs also sustained injuries as a group of Sikh youths broke into the room where suspect was kept to attack him with their swords while the policemen tried to save him.
They said that FIR of sacrilege has already been registered against the deceased. Other subsequent events were still being examined and further proceeding was yet to be decided.
In a separate video of suspect’s questioning by gurdwara caretaker Amarjit Singh and others in presence of SGPC member Jarnail Singh Dogranwala which came out in the evening, the former could be heard saying that when he got up, he heard some noise from upstairs but later saw that the suspect was making tea and heating up chapatis. They could be seen questioning him about his name and other particulars but the nothing could come out clearly even as one is heard saying that he was saying Gopalganj.
Dogranwala, who reached the gurdwara at 9AM, said that from questioning the suspect it seemed that he was from Bihar. “He was shell-shocked and could not tell anything clearly about his particulars. I had urged Amarjit and others to hand him over to police but the others who were there opposed this,” he said.
Police had detained gurdwara caretaker Amarjit Singh, who had exhorted people in his FB live to rush to the gurdwara while raising alarm of attempt of sacrilege, but he was released after Sikh groups staged protest near gurdwara and blocked the road.
