New Delhi: Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has said that the Kapurthala incident in which a man was lynched over allegations of sacrilege appears to be pointing towards a “murder” as investigation has not shown any sacrilege. The gurdwara caretaker has now been arrested on murder charges.
The lynching took place on Sunday, a day after a man was killed over an alleged desecration bid at the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
A case under Section 295 A (acts intended to outrage religious feelings) had been registered on the complaint of the gurdwara manager, who claimed that he saw the man trying to disrespect the ‘Nishan Sahib’ (religious flag).
“We did not find any sacrilege attempt or any evidence to back it. One person ran the gurdwara. This thing has moved to murder and inquiry is on,” Channi said.
Indian Express has reported that the postmorten report of the unidentified Kapurthala victim showed 30 wounds on his body. The news agency PTI has noted that the cuts are mostly sharp and likely to have been inflicted by swords.
Shortly after Channi made this announcement on Friday, December 24, a case of murder was filed against the gurdwara caretaker, Amarjit Singh, and he was arrested, NDTV has reported.
“Around 100 unnamed people are also listed in the case; 25 to 30 of them were armed,” the police said, according to the report.