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Man arrested for sacrilege bid at Patiala’s Kali Devi Temple
In a video, the man is seen jumping into sanctum sanctorum of the Kali Devi Temple in Patiala. He reached the place where the idol of the goddess is placed, said police.
A man was arrested for an alleged sacrilege bid at the historic Kali Devi Temple in Patiala on Monday, police said.
In a video, the man is seen jumping into sanctum sanctorum of the temple. He reached the place where the idol of the goddess is placed, said police.
The accused was overpowered by the priest and devotees and was handed over to the police. The accused has been identified as Rajbir Singh, a resident of Nainkalan village, Patiala deputy superintendent of police Ashok Kumar said.
Tension prevailed in the city as members of several Hindu organisations gathered at the temple. The organisations also gave call of Patiala bandh as a mark of protest against the incident.
A case under relevant sections, including 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the IPC has been registered against him, said the DSP.
Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi condemned the incident and urged people to maintain communal harmony.
“Bad elements are attempting to create mayhem by disturbing hard earned peace and harmony of the Punjab ahead of the assembly elections in Punjab,” he said.
The incident was similar to a sacrilege attempt at the Golden Temple in Amritsar in December.
Meanwhile, former chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh tweeted: “Strongly condemn the disturbing incident of attempted sacrilege at Shri Kali Mata Mandir in Patiala. Repetitive attempts to disturb peace in Punjab will not be tolerated. I urge @ECISVEEP to take strict action so that the atmosphere in the state is not disturbed.”
“The attempt of sacrilege at Shri Kali Mata Mandir of Patiala is highly condemnable. The accused should be given strict punishment,” said AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal in a tweet.
