Man beaten to death after alleged sacrilege attempt at Amritsar’s Golden Temple

New Delhi: A man was beaten to death in an altercation by angry devotees after he allegedly attempted to commit sacrilege at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, police said on Saturday.

The incident took place during evening prayers today when the man jumped over the metal railing around the Guru Granth Sahib and allegedly attempted to desecrate the Holy Book of the Sikhs with a sword.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) of Amritsar City, Parminder Singh Bhandal told ANI: “Today, one 24-25-year-old man barged inside Golden Temple where the holy book (Guru Granth Sahib) is kept. He tried desecrating it with a sword and was escorted out by the Sangat people. He later died in an altercation.”

*DCP Parminder Singh Bhandal (name corrected), Amritsar: Today, one 24-25-year-old man barged inside (Golden Temple) where the holy book (Guru Granth Sahib) is kept. He tried desecrating it with a sword; was taken out by Sangat people; died in the altercation. pic.twitter.com/phbsqXVp6M

— ANI (@ANI) December 18, 2021

The man was later declared dead by officials.

Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi condemned an alleged sacrilege attempt at the Sri Harimandir Sahib or the Golden Temple in Amritsar and directed state authorities to thoroughly probe the matter and find the “real conspirators.”

“CM @CharanjitChanni strongly condemned the most unfortunate and heinous act to attempt sacrilege of Sri Guru Granth Sahib in the sanctum sanctorum of Sri Harimandir Sahib during the path of Sri Rehras Sahib,” CMO Punjab tweeted.

Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi condemned the sacrilege bid at Amritsar's Golden Temple & directed state police to "thoroughly probe the matter and find the real conspirators". pic.twitter.com/QYv0f9UpUV

— ANI (@ANI) December 18, 2021

“CM directed state police authorities to thoroughly probe into entire matter to zero in at the underlying motive and real conspirators behind this dastardly act,” said another tweet from CMO Punjab.

The Chief Minister also called up the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) President and assured his government’s full support and cooperation to get to the bottom of the case.

Shiromani Akali Dal President Sardar Sukhbir Singh Badal expressed shock over the alleged attempt to commit sacrilege and said there clearly is a “deep-rooted conspiracy” behind it.

In a statement here, Badal said that it is impossible to believe that this could be the act of just one person. “There clearly is a deep-rooted conspiracy behind it. Never since the Mughals, the Masands and the Operation Bluestar has the sanctity of Harmandar Sahib been made the target of such outrage. This is beyond belief,” he said.

There were strong indications of such an incident after Gutka Sahib was thrown in holy Sarovar but the state govt and intelligence agencies did nothing to prevent such a despicable crime that intended to disturb peace & communal harmony in Punjab. 2/2

— Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) December 18, 2021

The SAD leader said that today’s development has left the entire Sikh population in a state of shock. He said that there seems a “conspiracy to inflict wounds of Sikh minds and to disturb peace and communal harmony” in the state.

Badal came down heavily against the state government saying that there were strong indications of such a conspiracy being weaved.