On December 19, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Home Minister, Punjab, interacted with the media and answered the queries related to the lynching of a man at Shri Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple), Amritsar, that happened on the eve of December 18. Earlier, he had a meeting with the Police officials at Amritsar.
#Breaking #GoldenTemple 'Sacrilege' Attempt | Accused is still unidentified, promise 'thorough' probe : @Sukhjinder_INC , Punjab Home Minister.@TejinderSsodhi shares details with @RitangshuB . pic.twitter.com/nKEbJp9CBK
— News18 (@CNNnews18) December 19, 2021
Series of events as explained by Randhawa
Before answering the queries, Randhawa informed the media that the accused had entered the Golden Temple premises at around 11:30 in the morning. He stayed there till evening when the incident took place. He had entered the premises alone, and as there were no identification papers, wallet or phone found on him, it was not possible to identify him. He denied that the man was identified as suggested in some reports.
He further added that he had a meeting with the police officials and the officials of the Shri Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC). The formation of a special intelligence wing was discussed with SGPC. He said that the officials at SGPC have agreed to question everyone who comes to Golden Temple as a devotee and stay there to ensure no such incident happens in the future.
‘Many facts would remain unanswered with his death
Randhawa said that there should be some background to the fact that he came alone and stayed at the premises for the whole day. He said, “He came alone and slept in front of Akal Takht the whole day before attempting to disrespect Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. There must be some back story to the incident that would remain hidden after his death.”
Though Randhawa mentioned that if the accused had been alive, some questions would have got answers which were not possible after his death, he did not condemn the lynching.
‘Most of the things would be revealed in a couple of days
Randhawa said though the accused died after the incident, the Police is checking CCTV footage around the premises to find out where the person came from. He said, “There are CCTV cameras at almost every corner, shop and house around Golden Temple. It would not take more than a day or two to find out where he came from and what had happened in the last couple of days.”
A reporter asked him that there were reports that around nine people had entered Golden Temple premises, including him. To the query, Randhawa said, “We do not have any such information. The Police are investigating the case and would take a couple of days to provide a clearer picture.”
‘No identification documents found’
There have been several reports about the identity of the accused. However, the Home Minister said that during the investigation, the Police did not find any identification documents, phone, wallet or any papers on him. “He has not been identified yet as he was not carrying any identification documents,” he said.
‘Attempts to demean Punjab and Punjabis’
Randhawa further added that there had been attempts to demean Punjab and Punjabis in the past. He said, “Be it at the time of partition or during the last few decades, there have been several attempts to demean Punjab and Punjabis. Even now, attempts are being made to cause disruption in peace using sensitive matters.” He urged the people of Punjab to remain vigilant and avoid any altercations based on rumours.
‘I had written to Union Govt to increase punishment in 295A’
In 2018, Punjab Government had passed a bill to increase the punishment under Section 295A of the Indian Penal Code to a minimum of 10 years. Randhawa said, “The Union Government has not taken any decision on it. When I took charge three months ago, I wrote to the Union Home Ministry once more to add subsection A in the law to increase the punishment in 295A cases.”
No word on lynching
The Home Minister didn’t condemn the murder inside the Golden Temple for the alleged sacrilege of the holy book. He didn’t say anything about the mob taking the law into hand and lynching a person instead of handing him over to authorities.
