Jalandhar: The Punjab Police special investigation team, led by Jalandhar range deputy inspector general (DIG) Ranbir Singh Khatra, on Saturday arrested seven Dera Sacha Sauda followers in Faridkot district in connection with a sacrilege incident that had sparked off statewide protests in 2015.
Khatra said the accused stole a bir (copy) of Guru Granth Sahib from a gurdwara of Burj Jawahar Singh Wala village on June 1, 2015. The case was registered at Bajakhana police station in Faridkot district.
The seven accused were identified as Sukhjinder Singh, Neela, Ranjit, Bhola, Nishan, Baljit Singh and Narinder Sharma, all residents of Faridkot district.
Khatra said that the accused will be produced in the Faridkot court later in the day and will be taken in police remand for questioning.
In 2018, the Khatra-led SIT had arrested more than 20 followers of the Sirsa-based dera, including Mohinder Pal Bittu, who was killed in the Nabha jail in 2019, in connection with the sacrilege incidents and rioting in Punjab in 2015.
The Akali-BJP government, led by Parkash Singh Badal, had handed over the probe into the three sacrilege incidents to the Central Bureau of Investigation. The first case pertained to the theft of the bir (copy of Guru Granth Sahib) from Burj Jawahar Singh Wala village near Kotkapura in Faridkot district on June 1, 2015. The second was the putting up of a poster at Bargari village in the district on September 25, 2015; and the third was the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib as torn pages of the bir were found scattered in front of a gurdwara at Bargari on October 12, 2015.
{{/usCountry}}The Akali-BJP government, led by Parkash Singh Badal, had handed over the probe into the three sacrilege incidents to the Central Bureau of Investigation. The first case pertained to the theft of the bir (copy of Guru Granth Sahib) from Burj Jawahar Singh Wala village near Kotkapura in Faridkot district on June 1, 2015. The second was the putting up of a poster at Bargari village in the district on September 25, 2015; and the third was the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib as torn pages of the bir were found scattered in front of a gurdwara at Bargari on October 12, 2015.
{{/usCountry}}The Congress government, led by Captain Amarinder Singh, however, took back the cases from the CBI and handed over the probe to the Punjab Police SIT, led by Khatra.