Four arrested for alleged sacrilege at Shahoora village

The Lopoke police have arrested four persons, including a migrant labourer, for allegedly committing sacrilege by outraging religious sentiments at Shahoora village near Amritsar.

Those arrested have been identified as Gurpreet Singh, his brothers Jagjit Singh and Sukhjit Singh — all residents of Shahoora village — and Raju, a migrant who worked as a domestic help at their house.

According to DSP Gurwinder Singh, Akhand Path was being held at Gurpreet Singh’s residence in memory of his mother. During the path on Saturday night, Raju allegedly hurled two slippers into the room where the path was in progress — one of which struck the Granthi, while the other landed near the saroop of Guru Granth Sahib.

The DSP said Gurpreet and his brothers allegedly helped Raju flee from the spot instead of informing the authorities. However, the incident came to light the following morning when the Granthi narrated the episode to members of a Satkar Committee, who in turn informed the police.

After preliminary investigation, the police took all four into custody. “A case has been registered under Section 299 (outraging religious feelings by insulting religion or religious beliefs) and Section 239 (intentional omission to give information about an offence by a person legally bound to do so) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita,” the DSP said.

Further investigation is underway to ascertain the motive behind the act and the extent of involvement of each accused.