In a horrific incident of religious extremism and barbaric mob lynching, a 19-year-old youth named Bakshish Singh alias Gola was beaten to death by angry devotees over alleged sacrilege outside the premises of Gurdwara Sahib Baba Bir Singh, in village Bandala of Punjab’s Ferozpur District. As per reports, Bakshish allegedly tore the ‘Holy Ang’ of Shri Guru Granth Sahib at the Gurdwara, after which the devotees present at the scene caught him. They dragged him outside where he was brutally beaten before handing him over to the police. Bakshish succumbed to his injuries at the hospital. For those who are unaware, the pages of Shri Guru Granth Sahib are known as ‘Ang’.
Police were informed about the incident, but the devotees beat him mercilessly before the police reached the scene. He was handed over to the police in an unconscious state. Police rushed him to the nearest private hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. An investigation into the matter is underway, while the victim’s body has been sent to the Civil Hospital for post-mortem. Reportedly, no case has been registered against the mob that killed Bakshish Singh.
The father expressed anguish and claimed Bakshish Singh was mentally ill
In a statement, Bakshish Singh’s father, Lakhvinder Singh, said he was mentally unstable and was on medication for the past two years. A video of people beating Bakshish Singh went viral on social media platforms. An FIR under Section 295A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against the deceased has been registered over sacrilege at the Arifke Police Station based on the complaint of chairman of Shri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Committee’s chairman Lakhvir Singh. However, Bakshish’s father urged the police to file another FIR for the murder of his son.
SGPC justifies the killing and orders social boycotting of the family
Following the incident, the Shri Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) issued a statement and justified the lynching of youth over allegations of sacrilege. In the statement, SGPC said, “Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib Giani Raghbir Singh termed the death of the accused of sacrilege as a reaction to the ‘failure to punish the culprits and give exemplary punishments’ by law. Moreover, the Jathedar has also ordered the Sikh Sangat to socially and religiously boycott the family of the accused of sacrilege and not to allow the last rites of the accused to be held in any Gurdwara Sahib.”
It is to be noted that this is not the first time that such mob lynching has occurred over allegations and suspicions of blasphemy in the Gurudwaras in Punjab.
(Featured Image Source: Organiser)
