Man Hits Sikh Priests, Desecrates Holy Book In Punjab, Arrested

Protests broke out after a man allegedly hit two Sikh priests and desecrated the 'Guru Granth Sahib' at a gurdwara in Punjab's Morinda town on Monday. The Punjab Police arrested Jasvir Singh and the incident was condemned by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and other leaders cutting across political parties. 

In a video of the incident which surfaced on social media, Singh could be seen entering the sanctum sanctorum of Kotwali Sahib gurdwara after crossing the railing and then hitting two 'granthis' (Sikh priests) who were reciting from the Guru Granth Sahib, and then flung the holy book on the ground.

Singh was later overpowered by devotees present in the shrine and beaten up. He was then handed over to police. The incident sparked outrage among locals who held a protest outside the Morinda Police station, seeking strict punishment for the accused. Markets were also shut down in Morinda in protest against the incident.

Senior political leaders, including former chief ministers Amarinder Singh and Charanjit Singh Channi, expressed shock over the incident and sought exemplary punishment in the matter.

Mr Mann, in a tweet, said the Morinda incident was highly condemnable and nobody will be spared for this.

"Anyone who committed the act of sacrilege will be given the strictest punishment. For us, the honour of Sri Guru Granth Sahib is first," he said.

Senior police officials, including Inspector General of Police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, reached Morinda to take stock of the situation. Reacting to the incident, Amarinder Singh tweeted, "The beadbi incident at Gurdwara Sri Kotwali Sahib in Morinda is highly condemnable. I urge Punjab Police to immediately arrest the perpetrator of this heinous crime and award the strictest punishment possible." 

Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa urged the state government to give strict punishment to the accused.

"Shocked to hear about sacrilege incident at Gurudwara Sahib in Morinda, Punjab. The person responsible has been caught & is in police custody. It's my appeal to Sangat to maintain peace & harmony at all costs. I request the Punjab Govt to give exemplary punishment to the accused," he said in a tweet.

Mr Channi also reached Morinda and joined the protest against the episode.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)