Tragic Death of Youth in Alleged Sacrilege Incident Sparks Outrage and Grief

A 19-year-old youth, Bakshish Singh, was beaten to death following an alleged sacrilege incident at a gurdwara in Bandala village on Saturday, according to police reports. The incident has sparked outrage and grief among the local community and Sikh leaders.

Bakshish, a resident of Talli Gulam village, allegedly tore some pages of the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikhs, after entering the gurdwara premises. His father, Lakhwinder Singh, stated that Bakshish was mentally disturbed and was undergoing treatment for his condition.

The police have registered an FIR against Bakshish for the alleged sacrilege under section 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings or beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code at the Arif Ke Police Station. The complaint was lodged by Lakhvir Singh, chairman of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Committee. However, Bakshish’s father has called on the police to also register a case against those responsible for his son’s death.

According to police, after the alleged sacrilege, Bakshish tried to flee but was caught by some people. As news of the incident spread, villagers assembled at the gurdwara and thrashed the youth, leading to his death from injuries.

Giani Raghbir Singh, the Jathedar of the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs, expressed grief over the incident and termed Bakshish’s death as a reaction to the “failure to punish the culprits and give exemplary punishments by law.” He also asked the Sikh ‘Sangat’ to socially and religiously boycott Bakshish’s family and not to allow his last rites to be held in any gurdwara.

In a statement, the Jathedar said that incidents of sacrilege of the Guru Granth Sahib have been occurring for a long time under a “well-planned conspiracy”. He criticized the government’s law for failing to stop these incidents or punish the culprits. He stated that the sacrilege in Ferozepur was a very unfortunate incident that has hurt the sentiments of Sikhs.

“For Sikhs, there is nothing above Sri Guru Granth Sahib and incidents of sacrilege badly harm the soul and mentality of Sikhs,” he said. He added that when the rule of law “fails miserably in performing its duty”, then people are forced to seek justice in their own way.