Man Who Desecrated Sikhs' Holy Book Dies In Hospital: Punjab Cops

The accused in a recent sacrilege incident in Punjab's Morinda, who was lodged in a jail in Mansa district, died at the Mansa civil hospital on Monday after he complained of "discomfort", police said.

Jasvir Singh was accused of desecrating the Guru Granth Sahib and hitting two Sikh priests at the historic Kotwali Sahib gurdwara in Morinda town in Rupnagar district on April 24.

After his police remand ended, he was sent to judicial custody and lodged in the Mansa jail on April 29.

Mansa Senior Superintendent of Police Nanak Singh said the accused died at the civil hospital.

He was taken to the hospital in the afternoon after he complained of "discomfort", police said, adding that he died at around 9:10 pm.

The cause of death will be clear after the post-mortem examination, they added.

Following the sacrilege incident on April 24, protests had broken out in Morinda.

A doctor at the Mansa civil hospital said Jasvir Singh was brought from the jail to the hospital at around 4 pm as he was experiencing difficulty in breathing.

At around 8:30 pm, his condition deteriorated as his blood pressure and oxygen saturation level dropped considerably, the doctor said.

The accused died at around 9:10 pm despite the best efforts of the doctors to save him, he added.

In a video that had surfaced on social media platforms, the accused was seen entering the sanctum sanctorum of the gurdwara in Morinda and hitting two "granthis" who were reciting from the Guru Granth Sahib. In the video, the accused was also seen pushing the holy book.

Jasvir Singh, who was an electrician, was overpowered by the devotees present at the shrine and beaten up. He was then handed over to police.

The incident had drawn condemnation from Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, other leaders cutting across political parties and even the Akal Takht "jathedar" and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).

The incident had sparked outrage among the locals who had sought strict punishment for the accused.

Protesters had even ransacked his house in Morinda.

On April 27, a lawyer had even pointed a pistol at the accused when he was brought to the court complex for hearing in the matter. The lawyer, identified as Sahib Singh Khural, was overpowered by policemen.

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