E-Paper
Woman killed in Patiala gurdwara: Challan in court, next hearing on January 23
The recent killing of a Delhi youngster by a Nihang in a Phagwara gurdwara shows the audacity with which the law of the land is ignored. A status check of the recent incidents that took place in Patiala and Morinda
Punjab has seen a series of incidents where suspects in sacrilege incidents have been shot or lynched by people out to mete them instant justice. The recent killing of a Delhi youngster by a Nihang in a Phagwara gurdwara shows the audacity with which the law of the land is ignored. A status check of the recent incidents that took place in Patiala and Morinda.
What happened
Suspected to have consumed liquor in the premises of gurdwara Dukhniwaran Sahib here, a 40-year-old woman was shot dead in the shrine by a man in a fit of rage in May last year.
The accused, identified as Nirmaljeet Singh Saini, fired multiple shots at the woman, Parminder Kaur from Zirakpur, after the ‘sangat’ allegedly saw the woman drinking alcohol near the holy pond in the gurdwara premises on May 15, 2023.
According to police, Kaur was consuming liquor near the sarovar when the ‘sangat noticed’ this. They decided to take her to the manager’s office. However, Saini, present at the spot, shot her in a fit of anger. “He fired five bullets at the woman as his religious sentiments were hurt,” police had said.
According to police, the woman was undergoing treatment for alcohol addiction. The accused was arrested by the police on the same day of the incident.
Case status: Saini is behind bars and will be produced before the court on January 23. “We have already filed challan and are strongly following this case,” said a senior police officer privy to the case.
Accused dies in ‘custody’, jail authorities yet to submit report to PHRC
What happened
In April last year, a Rupnagar resident was arrested for desecrating the Guru Granth Sahib and hitting two Sikh priests at the historic Kotwali Sahib gurdwara here.
The sacrilege incident on April 24, 2023 was caught on CCTV cameras that went viral on social media. In the video, the accused, Jasvir Singh, could be seen entering the sanctum sanctorum after crossing the railing and then hitting two ‘granthis’ who were reciting ‘Gurbani’. He then
flung the holy book on the ground. He was overpowered by people present there and handed over to police. After the incident, his house was also attacked by the crowd present there. Jasvir had also escaped an attempt on his life in a Rupnagar court on April 25 when a lawyer tried to kill him in the court complex and his pistol couldn’t fire. He was sent to judicial custody and lodged in Mansa jail on April 29. Jasvir, however, died at Mansa Civil Hospital on May 1 following chest pain.
Case status: Jasvir’s post-mortem report revealed that he had died of the injuries (mechanical) during his stay at Mansa jail. He had over 30 injuries on his body. Even after nine months of the incident, the mandatory report on the ‘custodial death’ has not been submitted to the Punjab Human Rights Commission.
