Punjab CM Charanjit Channi visits Golden Temple after sacrilege attempt, lynching

Amritsar, Dec 19: Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi reached the Golden Temple here on Sunday, a day after a man was beaten to death after an alleged sacrilege bid.

"We appeal to the people of the State to respect and protect the religious centers of all religions, maintain communal harmony. It might be that some bad elements are causing this as Assembly elections are nearing. Our agencies are conducting a probe," Channi told reporters.

The Punjab government today set up a special investigation team (SIT) has been set up to probe the case.

In a tragic incident, a man hailing from Uttar Pradesh was beaten to death by a mob 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.

Another man was beaten to death in Punjab's Kapurthala over a sacrilege attempt on Sunday.

The incident drew sharp reactions from political leaders, with Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi ordering a probe into it.

Earlier in the day, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa held a meeting in Amritsar with the deputy commissioner, the police commissioner and other officials.