Punjab News: Following an alleged sacrilege incident that happened at a gurdwara here on Saturday, a 19-year-old youth was beaten to death, according to police. The Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of Sikhs, is said to have been torn torn pages by Bakshish Singh, a resident of Talli Gulam village, after he entered the gurdwara in Bandala village.
Mental Health Condition
According to his father Lakhwinder Singh, Bakshish was receiving therapy for a mental health condition. Due to the youth’s alleged sacrilege, police have opened a formal complaint against them. On the other hand, Bakshish’s father asked the police to file a report against the people who killed his son.
Police claim that after tearing several pages from the Guru Granth Sahib, Bakshish attempted to run away. He was apprehended by some, and when word of the purported incident spread, the villagers gathered at the gurdwara and gave the young man a beating. Later, according to police, he passed away from his wounds. Following the incident, senior police officers, including Senior Superintendent of Police Saumya Mishra, arrived in the village.
Formal Complaint Filed
Following a complaint from Lakhvir Singh, the chairman of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Committee, police filed a formal complaint (FIR) against Bakshish at the Arif Ke Police Station under Section 295-A of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with “deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings or beliefs.”
According to Bakshish’s father Lakhwinder, his son has been receiving treatment for mental health issues for the past few years. He said that those responsible for his son’s death should also face charges through the police. Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh, meanwhile, conveyed his sorrow over the sacrilege incident that occurred in Ferozepur.
Call for Justice
Bakshish’s death, according to him, was a response to the “failure to punish the culprits and give exemplary punishments by law.” Additionally, the Jathedar has requested that the Sikh “Sangat” refrain from socially and religiously supporting the accused’s family and refrain from allowing the accused’s funeral rites to be performed in any gurdwara.
Singh claimed in a statement that there has been a “well-planned conspiracy” behind the Guru Granth Sahib sacrilege incidents for a considerable amount of time. He claimed that neither the government’s laws nor their enforcement are effectively curtailing sacrilegious acts nor punishing their perpetrators.
Sacred Reverence
He said that the sacrilege at Ferozepur was a regrettable incident that wounded Sikh sentiments. “For Sikhs, there is nothing above Sri Guru Granth Sahib and incidents of sacrilege badly harm the soul and mentality of Sikhs,” he said.
Law “fails miserably in performing its duty” and people are compelled to seek justice on their own terms, according to the Jathedar of the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhs.
