Engineer arrested for burning 3 cars in Amritsar

Held for promoting religious enmity after pasting posters threatening followers of Nurmahal-based Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan (DJJS) head Ashutosh Mahara

Amritsar Police have arrested Jagir Singh, 52, of Patti city in Tarn Taran district, for promoting religious enmity after he pasted posters threatening followers of Nurmahal-based Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan (DJJS) head Ashutosh Maharaj in Gol Bagh area of Amritsar on May 16. Jagir, who is a mechanical engineer and a former follower of the DJJS, is also accused of setting ablaze three cars in the city.

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Ashustosh Maharaj has been declared clinically dead, but his body has been preserved at the dera, with followers claiming that he is in Samadhi (deep meditation).

Police have recovered the same posters as were pasted in the town from his possession. These threaten of violence if the followers of Ashutosh did not leave the dera by May 18. A team that DCP (investigation) Mukhwinder Singh Bhullar led carried out the arrest. This team was formed by commission of police Sukhchain Singh. “We apprehended Jagir on the basis of suspicion, but he has confessed to the crime.”

The DCP added, “Jagir has told us that he had been visiting Nurmahal dera in Jalandhar since 2003 after becoming its follower and shifted to Jalandhar in 2017. He told us that he was angry and depressed at not being allowed to meet Ashutosh Maharaj and shifted back to Amritsar last year. He burnt the cars and printed the posters to take revenge.” He added that a tape-roll, a plastic bottle filled with petrol, sketch-pens and a mobile phone had also been from the accused.

A case had already been registered under sections 153-A (promoting hate among groups), 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the IPC at D-division police station.

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May 16 crime had also seen the 52-year-old man paste posters threatening followers of Nurmahal-based dera of Ashutosh Maharaj