Man beaten to death after alleged 'sacrilege' bid at Golden Temple

Amritsar, Dec 18: In a tragic incident, a man hailing from Uttar Pradesh was beaten to death after he allegedly attempted to commit “sacrilege” inside the sanctum sanctorum of the Golden Temple in Amritsar on Saturday.

Reportedly, the man jumped golden grills inside the sanctum sanctorum, picked a sword and reached near the place where a Sikh priest was reciting the holy Guru Granth Sahib.

The man was caught by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee task force members. When he was being taken to the SGPC office, the angry crowd thrashed him badly that later led to his death.

Deputy Commissioner of Police P S Bhandal said the man, hailing from UP, was around 30-year-old and his antecedents were being verified.

"Today, one 24-25-year-old man barged inside (Golden Temple) where the holy book (Guru Granth Sahib) is kept. He tried desecrating it with a sword; was taken out by Sangat people; died in the altercation," The DCP said.

All CCTV cameras were being checked to know when he entered the Golden Temple and how many people were with him. After the incident, a large number of Sikh devotees and various Sikh outfits slammed the SGPC for its laxity.

Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi condemned the sacrilege bid at Amritsar's Golden Temple and directed state police to "thoroughly probe the matter and find the real conspirators".

A heavy police force has been deployed around the SGPC complex at Teja Singh Samundri Hall in order to maintain law and order.