Punjab Man’s Killing Linked to Alleged Sacrilege at Gurdwara Causes Outrage

A police case has been filed against the man for the alleged sacrilege. Bakshish Singh committed the alleged sacrilege at Gurdwara Baba Bir Singh in Bandala village, after which an angry crowd caught and thrashed him, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Sukhwinder Singh said. He was mentally challenged and had been on medication for two years, claimed his father Lakhwinder Singh, calling on the police to register a case against those who killed his son. The locals say Bakshish had never visited the gurdwara before.

He reportedly tried to run away after committing the sacrilege and was caught by locals. As the news of the alleged incident spread, villagers gathered at the gurdwara and beat him. A video from the site showed a group of men surrounding Bakshish as he sat bleeding with his hands tied. The police later took him to a private hospital, but he had died by then.

The situation is now under control, said DSP Singh. Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh said the law was not successful in stopping sacrilege incidents and Bakshish’s death was a reaction to the failure to punish the culprits. The Jathedar of the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, also called on the Sikh community not to allow his last rites at any gurdwara and socially and religiously boycott his family. He said people are forced to seek justice on their own when the rule of law “fails miserably in performing its duty”.