Local dispute led to Barnala sacrilege incident, say police

Pages of the gutka sahib (Sikh prayer book) were found scattered during the three-day event commemorating the death anniversary of freedom fighter Sewa Singh Thikriwala.

The Barnala police, who have arrested three persons for the alleged January 19 sacrilege incident in Thikriwala village, said that the plot was orchestrated by a local resident, Kuldeep Singh, who had a dispute with the village gurdwara management.

The incident led to protests in Barnala.

Pages of the gutka sahib (Sikh prayer book) were found scattered during the three-day event commemorating the death anniversary of freedom fighter Sewa Singh Thikriwala.

According to an official statement released by Barnala police, Kuldeep Singh had some dispute with the village gurdwara management. “Kuldeep, seeking to tarnish the committee’s reputation and incite unrest in the village, allegedly took the help of his relatives, Randeep Singh from Dhuri and Jagveer Singh, a Thikriwala resident, to plot the sacrilege incident,” the statement said.

“Jagveer, who is speech and hearing impaired, had been specifically asked by Kuldeep to scatter the pages of the gutka sahib (a Sikh prayer book). Following a tip-off, on January 21, the police arrested Jagveer and Randeep. During their interrogation, the duo named Kuldeep Singh, who was nominated and arrested on January 23,” police said.