E-Paper
Two groups clash over possession of gurdwara at Ludhiana, 4 held
At least four people suffer injuries after group of men enter gurdwara and open fire; accused managed to flee after passers-by and locals gather at the spot
Dehlon police have arrested four people following a clash between two groups over the possession of Gurudwara Sahib in Jarkhar village.
Gunshots were also reported during the clash, wherein at least four people suffered injuries. Members from one of the groups managed to escape after abandoning their weapons when passers-by and residents gathered at the spot.
The accused, who have been identified as Sarup Singh, Pal Singh of Jarkhar, Gagandeep Singh of Lalton Khurd and Ajay Singh Grewal of Dhandhra.
Their aides, Harbans Singh of Jassowal, Master Shingara Singh, Surinder Singh Shindi and Baljit Singh of Jarkhar are yet to be arrested, while 12 others allegedly involved in the incident are yet to be identified.
Gurdwara Sahib head granthi Jorawar Singh, general secretary Jarnail Singh, president Dilbagh Singh and member Preet Mahinder Singh were among those who sustained injuries.
A first information report (FIR) has been registered following the complaint of Jorawar, who told police that members of a rival group barged into the Gurudwara Sahib and replaced the locks on the donation boxes with their own.
The complainant added that the accused also tried to take illegal possession of the management office and opened fire targeting the general secretary Jarnail Singh, who managed to escape with minor injuries.
Residents from the nearby areas gathered at the gurdwara after Jorawar made an announcement about the attack on the loudspeakers. On seeing the gathering, the accused was said to have fled from the spot while opening fire again.
While escaping, the accused dropped their weapons on the spot and the same were confiscated by the police teams.
As per the account of a few residents, the accused have been making repeated attempts to take possession of the Gurudwara Sahib.
Sharing further details about the incident, inspector Paramdeep Singh, station house officer (SHO) at Dehlon said a case has been registered under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 379 (theft), 506 (criminal intimidation), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), 447 (criminal trespass), 511 (attempt to commit offences), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees) of the Indian Penal Code, as well as sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act has been lodged against the accused.
A hunt is on for the arrest of the rest of the accused who are still at large, the SHO added.
