MALERKOTLA SACRILEGE: ‘BIR’ FOUND BURNT; CM SAYS ATTEMPT TO POLARISE VOTERS
MALERKOTLA: A ‘bir’ (copy) of Guru Granth Sahib was found burnt at a gurdwara in Hathoa village of Malerkotla, on Saturday night, near the residence of higher education minister Razia Sultana. The incident came to light when the priest, Joga Singh, upon seeing the lock of the main entrance broken at 4 am , entered the sanctum sanctorum to find the ‘bir’ burnt. Singh immediately called out to residents and informed the president of gurudwara management committee who then called the police.
MALERKOTLA: A ‘bir’ (copy) of Guru Granth Sahib was found burnt at a gurdwara in Hathoa village of Malerkotla in the wee hours of Sunday, near the residence of higher education minister Razia Sultana.
The incident came to light when the priest, Joga Singh, upon seeing the lock of the main entrance broken at 4 am , entered the sanctum sanctorum to find the ‘bir’ burnt. Singh immediately called out to residents and informed the president of Gurudwara management committee who then called the police.
Inspector general of police (IGP-Patiala range) AS Rai and senior superintendent of police (SSP) Sandeep Garg reached the spot and inspected the site but Sikh activists alleged that evidences were destroyed to protect the guilty.
Meanwhile Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC )president Gobind Singh Longowal, and parallel jathedars Dhian Singh Mand and Amrik Singh Ajnala, and leader of Opposition Harpal Singh Cheema also arrived at the gurdwara and condemned the act.
Chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh said the deliberate mischief in the run-up to Assembly polls is another crude attempt by divisive forces to polarise the state, and has asked the police to hunt and punish
The same forces that sought to destroy the state’s secular and peaceful fabric before the assembly elections are trying once again to polarise Sikh votes. CAPT AMARINDER SINGH, chief minister
the culprits.
“We know political forces are behind the act but we won’t allow them to break communal harmony,” said Harpeet Singh, a resident of Hathoa.
Speaking to Hindustan Times, Mand said, “It is more disturbing that police collected the remains and cleaned the crime spot to save the guilty. We will not call off protests till the accused are arrested.”
IG AS Rai said police are probing the matter from different angles. He said, “Forensic science team and other experts have collected samples and the police is investigating.”
SSP Garg said that the police have registered a case against unknown men under section 295 –A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Amargarh police station.
WILL BOYCOTT VOTES: RESIDENTS
Residents of Hathoa village said if the accused are not arrested soon, they would boycott the Lok Sabha elections at their village.
“We don’t want to disturb the atmosphere but if police fail to crack the case, the whole village will refrain from voting,” said Pardeep Singh.