UAPA invoked against Ludhiana man caught smoking in gurdwara

Smoking in a gurdwara is strictly prohibited; Ludhiana man was caught on CCTV and then the UAPA was invoked

Rupnagar Police on Thursday invoked the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in the first-information report (FIR) against Paramjit Singh, of Ludhiana, who was caught smoking inside the premises of Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib at Anandpur Sahib on Monday. To date, he had been booked under Section 295A (hurting religious sentiments) of the Indian Penal Code.

Ludhiana man was caught smoking in a gurdwara and the UAPA was added to the FFIR after preliminary probe, police have said. (HT Photo)

The volunteers (sewadars) of the gurdwara had caught Paramjit, when he was smoking inside the premises, after he had taken permission for staying overnight in the main hall of the place of worship. Senior superintendent of police Vivek Sheel Soni said Section 18 (punishment for conspiracy) of the UAPA has been added after a preliminary investigation into the matter.

“We are conducting our investigation from all angles. It is too early to comment further or disclose details,” Soni added. On Tuesday, Akal Takht acting jathedar Giant Harpreet Singh had claimed that the accused, Paramjit, was a follower of Dera Sacha Sauda, his father was part of seven-member team of this dera.

Meanwhile, a statement from the Dera Sacha Sauda said that none of its followers ever took drugs or indulged in smoking, etc, and it supported the most stringent of actions against such miscreants.