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SGPC terms three-year jail for sacrilege convicts insufficient
The SGPC welcomed the conviction of three Dera Sacha Sauda followers in the 2015 Moga sacrilege case, but said just three-year jail was not enough given the seriousness of the crime
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Friday welcomed the conviction of three Dera Sacha Sauda followers in the 2015 Moga sacrilege case, but said that just three-year imprisonment granted by court was not enough given the seriousness of the crime.
The case dates back to November 4, 2015, when torn pages of Guru Granth Sahib were found scattered on the streets of Malke village in Moga district, amid a string of similar incidents at Bargari in Faridkot and Gurusar in Bathinda, triggering statewide protests in Punjab. A Moga court on Thursday convicted three dera followers for the crime, while acquitting two others for want of evidence.
While welcoming the conviction, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said the government should make provisions for life imprisonment for sacrilege. “People involved in serious cases of sacrilege should be granted life imprisonment, so that no one dares to commit such a crime,” he said.
Pointing to the special investigation team’s final report (SIT) in Bargari sacrilege cases, which was made public last week, Dhami said that it had exposed the role of Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim and his followers and strict action should follow in these cases as well, “so that justice can be delivered to the Sikh community”.
Khaira calls SIT report bogus
Meanwhile, Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira on Friday termed the final investigation report in Bargari sacrilege cases “bogus”, claiming the SIT had not probed the “political masterminds”. The report has ruled out any political link in the sacrilege cases.
Khaira was talking to media persons after reaching Behbal Kalan, where he joined 2015 police firing victim Krishan Bhagwan Singh’s son Sukhraj Singh, who has been protesting against the delay in justice. The police firing had taken place during a protest against sacrilege cases.
