A man was beaten to death by the mob in a Kapurthala gurdwara on Sunday after he was accused of disrespecting the Nishan Sahib, the Sikh religious flag. A day before, another young man was lynched by the mob in Golden Temple, Amritsar for an alleged sacrilegious act. The Punjab Police reached the gurdwara in Kapurthala within three hours of the incident taking place but failed to save the man from the mob that charged in with swords.
Key Points:
1. The unidentified man was allegedly caught stealing from the gurdwara around 4 am and was later confined in a room in the gurdwara complex. The police had arrived after around three hours and were injured trying to save the accused from getting lynched by the mob.
2. The gurdwara manager Amarjit Singh claimed that the man was trying to steal the religious flag and was caught by gurdwara workers after his attempt to disrespect the 'Nishan Sahib'. Singh had started a live video on his Facebook page to make these claims.
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3. The Punjab Police has said that there was 'no visible sign of sacrilege' in the case based on their initial investigation and also revealed that the caught was a thief. They also said that the man was eating chappatis in the kitchen located on the ground floor of the Gurdwara complex, news agency PTI reported.
4. There were three cops including a station house officer and two ASIs present at the scene. The three cops got injured as they tried to save the accused from the Sikh youths who broke into the room with swords, said the police.
5. "Everything was found intact including the holy Guru Granth Sahib," Inspector General of Police Gurinder Singh Dhillon told the reporters. Senior Superintendent of Police Harkamalpreet Singh Khakh also said that they are still verifying facts and so far no visible sign of any act of sacrilege has been found.
6. Police has also said that the complainant, Amarjit Singh is currently being questioned. Singh had filed a case under Section 295-A (hurting religious sentiments of people) of the IPC.
7. A murder case against the mob who beat up the man is yet to be filed. "After verifying all facts, an FIR will be registered," Dhillion said referring to those who were present in the unruly mob that beat the man.
8. This was the second case of mob lynching from Punjab. Earlier on Saturday, another man was lynched by the mob as he allegedly attempted to commit 'sacrilege' inside the sanctum sanctorum of the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
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9. “I have taken serious note of the unfortunate incidents in Amritsar and Kapurthala. Any attempt to violate the communal harmony in the state will be dealt with a firm hand. Stern action will be taken against all those disturbing the law and order in Punjab,” DGP Siddharth Chattopadhyaya wrote on Twitter.
10. The Punjab Police have strongly opposed the current incidents and have warned against violating communal harmony after the two incidents.
