'Hang them in public', Sidhu demands punishment for sacrilege accused

The Golden Temple sacrilege incident, in which a man was beaten to death in an altercation by angry devotees, provoked reactions from many, including Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, Punjab AAP chief Bhagwant Mann and SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami.

Chandigarh: Reacting to the alleged sacrilege attempt at Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu has demanded public execution for those accused of desecrating religious texts.

Addressing a rally in Malerkotla on Sunday, Sidhu alleged that a conspiracy is being hatched to disrupt peace in Punjab ahead of Assembly polls, scheduled to be held early next year.

"Conspiracy going on to disrupt Punjab's peace. Wherever sacrilege takes place, be it of Quran Sharif or Bhagavad Gita or Guru Granth Sahib, they (guilty) should be hanged in public and given biggest Constitutional punishment," Sidhu said.

Meanwhile, Punjab AAP chief Bhagwant Mann on Monday said the alleged sacrilege bids at the Golden Temple and a Kapurthala gurdwara would not have taken place had the severest punishment been given in the 2015 desecration cases.

Addressing public meetings in Dasuya and at Mukerian, the Sangrur MP said no one has been punished in the 2015 desecration cases that took place in Faridkot. Mann accused the SAD, the BJP and the Congress of not providing good education to poor children. He alleged that both the Congress and the SAD made false promises. He appealed to voters to support the Aam Aadmi Party in the upcoming Assembly polls.

The SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami on Monday expressed apprehension of a "big conspiracy" behind the alleged sacrilege attempt at the Golden Temple and said the man involved in it seemed to have received "commando training". He also claimed that the law allows a person to kill in self-defence, suggesting that this is what happened at the Golden Temple when the man was lynched after the alleged sacrilege attempt.

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, earlier on December 18.

The incident took place during evening prayers 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.

Meanwhile, an unidentified man was allegedly beaten to death by locals at Nizampur in Punjab's Kapurthala district on Sunday for allegedly disrespecting the 'Nishan Sahib' at the village Gurudwara.

A video of people beating up the man who allegedly attempted sacrilege with the Nishan Sahib has gone viral on the Internet. He was later handed over to the police but some people reportedly insisted that the man be questioned in front of them and the man was allegedly beaten to death in an ensuing scuffle.

(With agency inputs)