'Absolutely unacceptable': Amarinder Singh on Punjab killings over sacrilege bids

Chandigarh, Dec 21: Former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday condemned the killings of two men over their alleged religious sacrilege attempts at gurdwaras in Amritsar and Kapurthala, calling it "absolutely unacceptable".

"Sacrilege is wrong but it is also wrong to kill a person. What is this way? There is a law in this land. If you take him (the accused) to the SGPC office, interrogate him and then kill him. Is this the way? This is illegal and this is absolutely unacceptable," Singh told PTI.

He said the accused should have been handed over to the police and added that no civilised society can and should approve of such killings.

To a question on the issue of people getting angry over denial of justice in the 2015 sacrilege incidents, thus resorting to such killings, the former chief minister said his government had pursued it from day one.

He said first the state had to fight a long legal battle to get the inquiry back from the Central Bureau of Investigation and then the investigation was started and 22 people, including police officials and civilians, were arrested who are on bail now.

There is no justification for mob lynching, whatsoever and it is condemnable, said Singh who faced unceremonious exit from the state government in September amid power tussle with Punjab Congress chief Navjot Sidhu.

Two men were beaten to death for their alleged desecration bids at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on Saturday and at a gurdwara in Kapurthala district on Sunday.

with PTI inputs