Harsher punishment for sacrilege in Punjab

IT’s been a decade since Punjab was rocked by a series of sacrilege incidents. These disturbing cases, coupled with the death of two Sikhs in police firing during an anti-sacrilege protest in Faridkot’s Behbal Kalan village in October 2015, continue to reverberate in political circles of the state. Even as the trial in various cases drags on, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has announced that it will introduce a legislation to ensure harsher punishment for acts of sacrilege against scriptures. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has justified the need for a separate law on the grounds that the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) doesn’t have any specific provision regarding holy books. Section 298 of the BNS pertains to destruction, damage or defilement of any place of worship; the offence is punishable with imprisonment up to two years. This jail term is regarded as woefully inadequate for the grievous harm done to scriptures.