Sikhs protest, 3 held for desecration of holy book

Two ‘granthis’ and a woman were arrested in connection with cases of desecration of the holy book of the Sikhs in Punjab, where activists of various outfits blocked roads and highways at several places to protest the sacrilege. While a ‘granthi’ in a gurdwara in Nijjapura village of Amritsar district was arrested for allegedly committing an act of sacrilege, police took into custody a woman working as a sweeper and a granthi in connection with the Ghawaddi village desecration case in Ludhiana district.

Amritsar Senior Superintendent of Police (rural) Jasdeep Singh Saini said police received a call from a gurdwara priest at Nijjarpura late Sunday night that three persons forcibly entered the shrine and tore the pages of the holy book.

“The statement of priest appeared false, following which he was interrogated before other people working in the shrine,” he said.

The 30-year-old ‘granthi’ Jagdeep Singh confessed that he had committed the crime and had tried to mislead the police, Saini said. “The perpetrator of crime, who himself is the granthi of gurdwara, has been arrested,” the SSP said. 

In another case, police arrested a woman, identified as Balwinder Kaur (45), and ‘granthi’ Sikandar Singh (46) in connection with the Ghawaddi desecration case, Ludhiana Commissioner of Police Paramraj Singh Umrangal said. Sikh outfits, meanwhile, continued to stage dharnas at several places in Punjab against incidents of sacrilege and to press for arrest of police officials involved in firing at Behbal Kalan village in which two persons were killed.