Earlier, members of various Sikh bodies reached the court complex where Nirmaljit Singh Saini was produced by police after his arrest and greeted him by showering flower petals
The victim, identified as Parminder Kaur, was being taken to the manager's room after onlookers inside the complex complained about her consuming alcohol inside the Gurudwara complex.
According to a statement made by California attorney general Rob Bonta, Yuba City Police Chief Brian Baker, and Sutter County District Attorney Jennifer Dupré, the 17 felony arrests, mostly of members of the local Sikh community, were made on Sunday during a massive operation that involved agents executing search warrants at 20 locations in Northern California.
The security personnel have reached the Gurudwara amid an ongoing search for fugitive pro-Khalistani separatist leader Amritpal Singh and one of his mentors, Papalpreet Singh.