Accused pastor attempts suicide in custody

VICKY MASIH WAS RUSHED TO A HOSPITAL WHERE HIS CONDITION IS SAID TO BE STABLE, SAY POLICE

FARIDKOT : Two days after his arrest, the pastor accused of sacrilege of Gutka Sahib (Sikh holy book) attempted suicide by slitting his throat with a blade while in police custody on Wednesday.

On Monday, police arrested two persons, including a local pastor Vicky Masih, after torn pages of Gutka Sahib were found scattered on a road in Golewala village of Faridkot district. The accused were sent to police custody till April 27 by the local court.

Officials, who didn’t wish to be named, said Masih managed to get hold of a blade and slit his throat in an attempt to commit suicide inside Faridkot’s Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) police station. “He (Masih) was being interrogated over his involvement in the sacrilege case. He was rushed to Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital in Faridkot,” officials said.

Faridkot senior superintendent of police Harjeet Singh said Masih attempted suicide by slitting his throat.

“He was rushed to the hospital, and we followed all the legal procedures. He underwent a minor operation as his food pipe was slit. His condition is stable now. We are verifying how he got hold of a blade inside the police station,” the SSP added.

A Class 10 student had found torn pages of Gutka Sahib when he was walking towards the local gurdwara around 10 am on Sunday i.e. April 23. The vehicle of the accused was spotted in a CCTV footage in which a person sitting on a co-passenger seat was seen throwing torn pages of Gutka Sahib on the road from a moving car. “With the help of the CCTV footage recovered from the spot, we traced the vehicle, and the accused were identified,’ police had claimed.