In a shocking incident, on December 18, a man was beaten to death by a mob for an attempt to sacrilege at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The Holy Guru Granth Sahib, the 11th guru of the Sikhs, is the holiest book in Sikhism. According to witnesses, the man had supposedly jumped over the railing of the sacred sanctum sanctorum of the temple. He had allegedly tried to grab the sword kept in front of the holy Guru Granth Sahib during the evening prayer hours. The TV footage broadcast daily showed that the people around were trying to stop the man.
“This evening during prayers, a man jumped the fence and entered the enclosed area. The congregation was offering prayers and bowing down,” said Parminder Singh Bhandal, the Deputy Commissioner of Police of Amritsar, to NDTV. He also added, “the man, about 20 to 25 years of age who had a yellow cloth tied on his head, jumped the fence… the people inside held him and escorted him out to the corridor where there was a violent altercation, and he died.” The entire incident has been captured on CCTV and television as it was broadcasted during the Rehras Sahib, the daily evening prayers.
Punjab Police has tightened security at all religious places, especially at gurdwaras which have the Guru Granth Sahib, to maintain law and order in the state. Fanaticism must be condemned. The people who are known for their big hearts and have the spirit of sewa must attempt to blasphemy in a peaceful and better way. Lynching by a mob can never be the proper punishment for showing disrespect to religion. In the end, a question arises, is politics and religion above human life?
