Man beaten to death at Golden Temple for ‘sacrilege’ attempt

One person died after being beaten by devotees when he entered the sanctum sanctorum of the Golden Temple in Amritsar, according to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) – the apex body for the management of gurdwaras. Cops have so far not been able to ascertain the identity of the person who committed sacrilege in Golden Temple’s sanctum sanctoram on December 18.
In an official statement, SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami said an attempt was made by a man at “Sachkhand Sri Harmandar Sahib'' (Golden Temple) to cross the safety grill while the recitation of daily ‘Rehras Sahib’ (evening prayer) was underway. “During the recitation, a man jumped over the safety grill and entered the sanctum sanctorum and picked up the sword kept in front of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, but he was apprehended by the ‘Sewadars’ on duty, and he died due to beating by the sangat (devotees),” Dhami said.
Parminder Singh Bhandal, deputy commissioner of Amritsar police, said "The man, about 20 to 25 years of age, had a yellow cloth tied on his head and jumped the fence... the people inside held him and escorted him out to the corridor where there was a violent altercation and he died."
Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal expressed "shock and disbelief” at the incident and alleged a deep-rooted conspiracy. In a statement, Badal said that it is impossible to believe that this could be the act of just one person and there clearly is a deep-rooted conspiracy behind it.
Amritsar police commissioner Sukhchain Singh Gill said that cops had not found any identity card or document that could help trace the person’s background. The police chief said the police had circulated a photograph of the person from footage captured by CCTV cameras. He said the SIT had started its probe and that police had registered a case under IPC Sections 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and 307 (attempted murder) at the East Division police station on December 19.
Police had also released mobile numbers that anyone having any information about the accused could call.