UAPA invoked against man caught smoking in gurdwara

Akal Takht jathedar had claimed that the accused was a follower of Dera Sacha Sauda PARAMJIT OF LUDHIANA WAS CAUGHT ON THE PREMISES OF TAKHT KESGARH SAHIB ON MONDAY

RUPNAGAR: Police on Thursday invoked the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in the first-information report (FIR) against Paramjit Singh of Ludhiana, who was caught smoking inside the premises of Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib at Anandpur Sahib on Monday.

To date, he had been booked under Section 295A (hurting religious sentiments) of the Indian Penal Code.

The volunteers (sewadars) of the gurdwara had caught Paramjit, when he was smoking inside the premises, after he had taken permission for staying overnight in the main hall of the place of worship. Senior superintendent of police Vivek Sheel Soni said Section 18 (punishment for conspiracy) of the UAPA has been added after a preliminary investigation into the matter.

“We are conducting our investigation from all angles. It is too early to comment further or disclose details,” Soni added. On Tuesday, Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh had claimed that the accused, Paramjit, was a follower of Dera Sacha Sauda, his father was part of seven-member team of this dera.

Dera for strict action CHANDIGARH : The Dera Sacha Sauda on Thursday advocated strict action against anyone indulging in desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib.

In a statement, the management committee of the Dera Sacha Sauda said that the dera respects all regions. “The dera respects the Guru Granth Sahib. If any person desecrates it, action should be taken against him. We are in favour of strict action,” it said.

The dera further said that its followers do not consume drugs and intoxicants.

“If any person indulges in drug abuse, he is not a dera follower,” said the management committee.