Sangrur, July 4
The rift between residents of Johlian village, where a sacrilege incident was reported on June 25, and members of various Sikh organisations has caused tension in the area. Angered over the refusal to address the gathering during the bhog of akhand path, members of organisations blocked the Sangrur-Patiala highway on Sunday.
Johlian village residents said it was a collective decision to avoid any trouble. “All villagers had decided that we would not allow any flare up through any speech during the bhog of akhand path in our gurdwara. However, members of organisations lost cool when we did not give them time to express their views on the public address system. We want to maintain peace in our village,” said Kulwant singh, former Sarpanch of Johlian village.
Members of various Sikh organisations had heated arguments with villagers. They blocked the Sangrur-Bhawanigarh road in protest. “Villagers are playing in the hands of police officers, who want to pass this case also like past cases of sacrilege. They are doing nothing to trace the mastermind of all cases,” said Bachitar Singh from Sikh Sadbhawna Dal.
On June 25, the Guru Granth Sahib was set on fire at the village gurdwara and the police arrested the accused quickly.
“Earlier we registered the case under Sections 295 A and 435 of the IPC, and arrested a local woman. We added the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and 153-A last evening. Our thorough investigations are going on while our team is also trying to convince members of sikh organisations to lift the protest,” said Sukhraj Singh, DSP, Bhawanigarh. — TNS
Activists detained
Faridkot: Three days after the police foiled an attempt by SAD (Amritsar) activists to start a “morcha” at Bargari against the sacrilege incidents, the party members again reached Bargari to start the protest on Sunday. However, soon after they performed an ‘ardas’ at a gurdwara, the police rounded them up. They were later released. tns
Sacrilege: Not allowed to address event, Sikh bodies block highway
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