The Punjab government on Sunday formed a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the alleged sacrilege attempt at Golden Temple in Amritsar on Saturday, people familiar with the matter said.
The SIT, to be headed by Amritsar’s deputy commissioner of police (law and order), will give its report on the incident in two days, the people cited above said.
Police said on Saturday the man was beaten to death by angry devotees after he allegedly attempted to commit sacrilege at the Golden Temple.
The incident took place during evening prayers when the man jumped over the metal railing and stepped inside the central enclosure of the sanctum sanctorum where the Guru Granth Sahib is kept and allegedly attempted to desecrate the holy book of the Sikhs. He also picked up a diamond-encrusted sword and committed sacrilege, police said.
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Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, who met police officials in Amritsar earlier in the day, condemned the alleged sacrilege attempt at Golden Temple and said all angles are being investigated.
{{/usCountry}}Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, who met police officials in Amritsar earlier in the day, condemned the alleged sacrilege attempt at Golden Temple and said all angles are being investigated.
{{/usCountry}}Randhawa said the accused in the Amritsar incident has not yet been identified. "It is an unfortunate incident. It seems that the person came with the target of sacrilege only as he was there for eight to nine hours. He has not been identified yet. We will investigate the matter,” he told reporters after meeting with officials.
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"He entered alone. We are tracing from where he entered, where all he went through CCTVs installed outside almost every house here. We'll know more in one or two days," he added.
The police have filed a first information report (FIR) under sections 295A and 307 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against an unknown accused, for the deliberate and malicious intention of outraging the religious feelings and attempt to murder.
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Assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Sanjeev Kumar said security has been tightened at the Golden Temple and that the situation is peaceful so far.
"After yesterday's incident, we have made security arrangements here (at Golden Temple). Many Sangats come on weekends... although the situation is peaceful," he said, according to news agency ANI.
Punjab chief Charanjit Singh Channi, who condemned the sacrilege bid at the Golden Temple and directed state police to "thoroughly probe the matter and find the real conspirators”, will visit the shrine at 4pm.
Several political leaders have also condemned the act.