Alleged sacrilege attempt at Golden Temple: Police register case; suspect's identity still unknown

GS Paul
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, December 19

Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Amritsar Police Commissioner Sukhchain Singh Gill on Sunday held a meeting with the office-bearers of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee to discuss additional security measures—a development that comes a day after a man was beaten to death at the Golden Temple after an alleged sacrilege attempt at the sanctum sanctorum.

Man beaten to death in Punjab's Kapurthala over sacrilege allegations

Amritsar Police meanwhile have booked the man for attempted murder under Section 307 —because Guru Granth Sahib is believed to be a living entity—and outraging religious feelings (Section 295-A) of the Indian Penal Code.

The suspect remains unidentified.

Police said they were reviewing security footage inside the shrine. A video from the sanctum sanctorum showed the deceased jump over a barrier and sprint toward a ‘saroop’ (copy or edition) of Guru Grath Sahib before he’s caught hold of. He had allegedly picked up the 'siri sahib' (kirpan, a religious symbol), placed aside the saroop but was caught by SGPC’s staffers before he did anything else.

Meanwhile, the SGPC said it had bolstered security around the shrine. Sources said that the SGPC was considering an intelligence wing of its own.

The suspect, Randhawa said, wore his hair short, and had on blue jeans and a jacket. He’d entered the complex alone around 11: 40 am on Saturday and spent seven hours inside the complex, even taking a nap near the Akal Takth.

He carried no ID proof, the minister, who also handles the home portfolio for Punjab, said.

“We’re constantly in touch with the SGPC officials and the on-duty staffers in connection with the case,” he said.

Randhawa said the government has formed a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the incident. The SIT will give its report on the incident in two days, he added.

Police Commissioner Gill said his department had got security images from cameras at the Inter State Bus Terminus, the Amritsar Railway Station and nearby markets and road routes to learn more about how the suspect came to the shrine.

 “We are trying to zero in on the sequence of the events. Our prime focus is to know about his whereabouts. We have circulated his photographs that we could get to all possible agencies to learn more about him,” Gill said.

“Reports about Uttar Pradesh connections are unconfirmed and we have no evidence for it,” he said, also saying that his appearance showed he could be from outside Punjab.

The body has been kept for autopsy, and investigators are trying to see if he was under the influence of any substance.

Meanwhile, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said that the committee relied more on their own men for security than the police and that it had a “dedicated and efficient staff that knows how to take care of the sanctity of the shrine”.

“We have reorganised our security at the complex,” he said, but accused both the state government and the police for the security lapse.

 “Had there been an exemplary punishment by the police, nobody could have dared to attempt any such incident? It was the failure on the part of the intelligence agencies that it had happened at the most secure place. I believe that it was a deep-rooted conspiracy by central agencies to vitiate the atmosphere of Punjab by creating communal conflict,” he said.

It’s significant that the incident comes a few months before state Assembly elections early next year.

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