7 Dera Sacha Sauda followers arrested from Faridkot in 'bir' theft case

Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, July 4

In a major development, a special investigation team led by Jalandhar range Deputy Inspector General Ranbir Singh Khatra arrested seven Dera Sacha Sauda followers from Faridkot district in the wee hours on Saturday in the Guru Granth Sahib theft case. 

Among the accused are Sukhjinder Singh alias Sunny, Neela, Ranjit Bhola, Nishan, Baljit and Narinder Sharma, all residents of Faridkot district.

Khatra confirmed the development saying the accused had been arrested in the case in which a bir of the Guru Granth Sahib was stolen from Burj Jawahar Singh Wala. 

The Punjab Government has withdrawn the sacrilege cases from the Central Bureau of Investigation.

On June 1, 2015, a "bir" of Guru Granth Sahib was stolen from gurdwara in Burj Jawahar Singh Wala. On October 12, 2015, torn pages of this 'bir' was found scattered in front of a gurdwara in adjoining village, Bargari, which led to massive protests all over the state, killing of two Sikh protestors at Behbal Kalan, followed by killing of a Dera follower at Burj Jawahar Singh Wala on June 16, 2016.

Another SIT, led by Kunwar Vijay Pratap, Inspector General of Police, is probing the police firing incidents at Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura.