Punjab govt gives nod to prosecute Gurmeet Singh in 2015 sacrilege cases
Chandigarh (PTI): The Punjab government has granted sanction to prosecute jailed Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Singh in the 2015 sacrilege incidents that had triggered protests and left two agitators dead in police firing, official sources said on Tuesday.
The move came days after the Supreme Court vacated the stay imposed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on the trial in three sacrilege cases.
The top court on October 18 had passed the order on a plea of the Punjab government challenging the order of the high court, which had stayed the trial in the three cases registered in Faridkot.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who holds the Home portfolio, approved the sanction on Monday evening, the sources said.
The chief of the Sirsa-headquartered sect is serving a 20-year sentence given in 2017 for raping two of his disciples. The Dera chief and three others were also convicted in 2019 for the murder of a journalist more than 16 years ago.
Singh, who is serving sentence in Sunaria jail in Haryana's Rohtak district, was granted a 20-day parole on October 2.
The sacrilege incidents related to the theft of a 'bir' (copy) of the Guru Ganth Sahib from Burj Jawahar Singh Wala gurdwara, putting up handwritten sacrilegious posters in Bargari and Burj Jawahar Singh Wala and torn pages of the holy book found scattered at Bargari, had taken place in Faridkot in Punjab in 2015.
These incidents had led to anti-sacrilege protests in Faridkot. In the police firing at anti-sacrilege protesters in October 2015, two persons were killed in Behbal Kalan while some persons were injured at Kotkapura in Faridkot.
Punjab Police special investigation team (SIT) led by Additional Director General of Police SPS Parmar in 2022 had indicted the Dera Sacha Sauda chief as one of the main conspirators in the three sacrilege incidents.
The state government's sanction is required to prosecute anyone under Section 295 A (hurting religious feelings) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The high court in March this year had stayed the trial against the Dera chief in sacrilege cases after he challenged the validity of a September 6, 2018 notification of the state government withdrawing the consent given to the CBI to probe these cases and sought a direction to the central probe agency to investigate.
In 2015, the then SAD-BJP government had handed over the three sacrilege cases to the CBI for probe.
Later, the previous Congress-led Punjab government, however, had handed over the probe to a special investigation team of the Punjab Police in September 2018 after the state Assembly passed a resolution withdrawing consent to the CBI to investigate these cases, noting lack of progress in the investigation.
In the monsoon session of the Punjab assembly last month, CM Mann had said that his government was firmly committed to ensuring exemplary punishment to the perpetrators of the desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib.
The Congress had questioned the state government for the delay in granting prosecution sanction against Singh in the sacrilege cases.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Two held for assaulting policemen over drinking in public
Bengaluru (PTI): Two police personnel on patrolling duty were allegedly abused and assaulted by a group of four youths after being asked not to consume alcohol in a public place, police said on Wednesday.
Two of the accused -- an engineering student and a software engineer, both in their 20s -- have been arrested in the case, they said.
Efforts are being made to nab the other two suspects, who have been identified, police added.
The incident occurred in the early hours of May 1, when the two personnel, attached to Amrutahalli police station, were patrolling on a two-wheeler near Akashavani Layout, they said.
According to police, while patrolling around 3 am, they noticed four youths who had stopped their car on the road and were consuming alcohol. When they were told to leave, as drinking alcohol in a public place is not permitted, one among them suddenly started abusing them.
When the policemen attempted to take out their lathi from the vehicle, the youths allegedly caught hold of them from behind, grabbed and dragged them, and tore one of their uniforms, the FIR stated.
They assaulted them with their hands and with rings worn, causing injuries to their faces. They also kicked them, causing pain, it said.
Thereafter, the accused allegedly snatched the key of their vehicle, pushed them to the ground, and fled the scene in their car at high speed, police said.
The policemen then immediately went to a hospital for treatment and lodged a complaint against four unknown youths, following which an FIR was registered against them under Sections 121(1) (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt to deter a public servant from duty), 132 (assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of duty), 304 (snatching), and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
"We have arrested two people in the case and efforts are being made to nab the other two suspects who have been identified," a senior police officer said.
