Sacrilege Cases In Punjab: Last week, two persons were beaten to death in Punjab over alleged instances of sacrilege.
New Delhi: Days after two men were beaten to death for their alleged sacrilege attempts, the Punjab government has asked the Centre to get presidential assent for two bills passed by the state Assembly in 2018 for ensuring stringent punishment for those involved in desecration cases. The Code of Criminal Procedure (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2018, and the Indian Penal Code (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2018, which provides for life imprisonment for the sacrilege of holy books (Guru Granth Sahib, Bhagavad Gita, Quran and the Bible) had received the Governor’s assent and is now awaiting the President’s assent.
In a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa asserted, “Punjab being a border state, it is extremely necessary to maintain communal harmony here. For this, deterrent punishment is a must for those trying to disturb communal harmony by indulging in the sacrileges. So, I again request that the Presidential assent for the said Bills may kindly be obtained and conveyed to the state government at the earliest possible.”
“I want to bring to your notice that sacrilege of holy books is becoming a major issue in Punjab. Shri Guru Granth Sahib is considered a living Guru and not an object by the Sikhs and it is accorded respect according to Sikh maryada. In this context, it was felt that the existing provisions of Section 295 and 295-A of the Indian Penal Code-1860 which provide for a punishment of up to three years are inadequate to deal with this situation,” Randhawa, who holds home portfolio stated.
He added, “So, the Punjab Vidhan Sabha passed the Indian Penal Code (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2018 and The Code of Criminal Procedure (Punjab Amendment) Bill 2018 which provide for punishment up to life imprisonment for whoever causing injury, damage or sacrilege to the Shri Guru Granth Sahib, Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Holy Quran and Holy Bible with the intention to hurt religious feelings of people.”
Sacrilege Cases In Punjab
Last week, two persons were beaten to death in Punjab in less than 24 hours over alleged instances of sacrilege. On December 18, a man was lynched at the Sri Darbar Sahib, popularly known as the Golden Temple, in Amritsar for attempting to sacrilege the Guru Granth Sahib.
Terming the sacrilege incident at Sri Darbar Sahib most unfortunate, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said a Special Investigation Team under the DGP, Law and Order, was constituted and would submit an investigation report within two days.
A day later another man was beaten to death in Kapurthala’s Nijampur district. While locals alleged that they caught him “disrespecting” the Nishan Sahib (the Sikh flag), police have said it appeared to be the case of theft and not of sacrilege.
