Punjab Chief Minister Charanjith Singh Channi on Sunday visited the Golden Temple in Amritsar, a day after a young man was beaten to death inside the shrine for alleged sacrilege attempts. Channi is expected to meet the police and administrative officials in the city.
The state government has formed a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the incident which has sparked a political outrage in the poll-bound state. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said the SIT would submit its report within two days.
The incident took place on Saturday evening when the man jumped over the golden grills inside the sanctum sanctorum, picked a sword and reached near the place where a Sikh priest was reciting the holy Guru Granth Sahib.
The man was caught by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee task force members. When he was being taken to the SGPC office, the angry crowd thrashed him badly that later led to his death.
Channi, while condemning the “most unfortunate and heinous act”, had directed the police to conduct a thorough probe into the sacrilege incident.
The chief minister’s office tweeted: "CM @CharanjitChanni strongly condemned the most unfortunate and heinous act to attempt sacrilege of Sri Guru Granth Sahib in the sanctum sanctorum of Sri Harimandir Sahib during the path of Sri Rehras Sahib. The CM directed state police authorities to thoroughly probe into entire matter to zero in at the underlying motive and real conspirators behind this dastardly act."
Meanwhile, in a similar incident, an unidentified man was beaten to death by local people in Kapurthala district on Sunday.
According to reports, the man was detained by the residents of Nijampur village after he was seen disrespecting the Nishan Sahib (Sikh flag) at a gurdwara in the early morning. An NDTV report said though the police reached the spot and took the man into custody, a few Sikh groups demanded that he be questioned in front of them.
The man was seriously injured after the villagers clashed with the police. Later he succumbed to his injuries at a hospital.
“I have taken serious note of the unfortunate incidents in Amritsar and Kapurthala. Any attempt to violate the communal harmony in the state will be dealt with a firm hand,” Director General of Police Siddharth Chattopadhyays said in a tweet.
Stern action will be taken against all those disturbing the law and order in Punjab, he said.
