Rajdeep Singh (23) was arrested on Monday for desecrating the historic Kali Maa Mandir in Patiala, Punjab. The incident took place during prayer time when the accused climbed onto the Garbha Griha (sanctum sanctorum) and grabbed the Murti of the goddess.
An alert Poojari pounced on him and shoved him away from the Garbha Griha. Other devotees then pinned him to the floor and the security personnel took the man away. The accused was then handed over to the local police. Cameras placed for a live telecast captured the whole incident.
Patiala Superintendent of Police, Harpal Singh said that the accused first molested a woman devotee inside the temple following which her husband pushed him away. It was then that he went on to desecrate Maa Kali’s Murti.
Harpal added that a case has been registered against Rajdeep Singh for deliberately and maliciously acting to outrage the religious feelings of Hindus. He was also charged for assaulting the woman with an intent to outrage her modesty.
After the incident, tension prevailed in Patiala as members of several Hindu organizations gathered at the temple. Pro-Hindu communities have also called for a Patiala bandh to protest against the incident.
BJP leader from Punjab, Subhash Sharma denounced the desecration at the Mandir. Punjab Lok Congress chief and former Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh condemned the incident. He urged the Election Commission to look into the incident and asked the authorities to take strict action to ensure peace in the state.
As usual, Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi blamed imaginary forces with ‘some vested interest’ for the incident. Even the Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, yet another occasional Hindu, joined in and called such incidents conspiracies to spoil the atmosphere in Punjab. AAP’s seldom sober chief minister candidate, Bhagwant Mann sensed a photo opportunity and rushed to the Mandir.
Law and order in the Congress governed poll-bound state is in shambles and even the prime minister is not safe in the state. Both Pakistan and the Vatican have deep assets in the state who are operating without any fear. Anti-national Khalistani terrorists are trying to destabilize the region as per the wishes of their ISI/ colonial paymasters.
Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal said that his party has been repeatedly reminding the government about conspiracies by ‘anti-national foreign forces’ who are trying to spread hatred. He said that their worst fears had come true since Hindu and Sikh shrines are being targeted. Badal wanted everyone to stay united to preserve peace and ‘communal harmony.’
Unlike what has been happening in Gurudwaras where even poor young vagabond looking for food are being accused of sacrilege and hacked to death, this Mandir incident was managed in a mature manner. There was no violence, no attacks using sharp swords, and no killings took place. Hindu devotees caught Rajdeep Singh and handed him over to the police.
