A gurdwara in Manuali, Sector 83, has started keeping the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of Sikhs, within a glass enclosure to prevent access to unauthorised persons.
Only the granthi (priest) will be allowed to enter the enclosure, which was set up recently. The move comes as a result of multiple sacrilege cases that have been reported from Punjab gurdwaras over the last few years.
Gurdwara president Baldev Singh said, “It is very important to make adequate arrangements to avoid sacrilege of our holy book and religion. We purchased the special glass from Ludhiana. No one will be able to break it even with an iron rod. We have left space for the air to pass. Such structures should be constructed at all gurdwaras.”
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee secretary Partap Singh appreciated the efforts of the management and said, “Safeguarding the holy book should be the top priority of all gurdwaras. All possible steps should be taken to avoid untoward incidents causing sacrilege.”
Recent incidents
A resident of Chabhal village was arrested for committing sacrilege by tearing pages of Gutka Sahib at Gurdwara Bir Baba Budha Sahib, 14 km from Amritsar, in June. He was identified as Karamjit Singh.
On January 16, a nihang, Ramandeep Singh, allegedly murdered a man at Gurdwara Chaura Khooh in Phagwara on the suspicion that he had committed sacrilege. The police later did not ruled out any sacrilege.
{{/usCountry}}On January 16, a nihang, Ramandeep Singh, allegedly murdered a man at Gurdwara Chaura Khooh in Phagwara on the suspicion that he had committed sacrilege. The police later did not ruled out any sacrilege.
{{/usCountry}}