The Muktsar district police have registered the first case in Punjab under the Jaagat Jyot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act against unidentified persons after torn pages of a Sukhmani Sahib gutka (prayer book) were found scattered in a slum street of Malout town.
The first information report (FIR) has been registered against unidentified persons under the stringent anti-sacrilege law notified by the state government on April 20. The Punjab assembly enacted this legislation to provide a stronger legal deterrent against desecration, stipulating a quantum of punishment that includes life imprisonment and a penalty of up to ₹25 lakh for acts of sacrilege against Guru Granth Sahib.
The FIR was registered at Malout on Thursday night on the complaint of Jangir Singh, a resident of Kuchian Mohalla.
Muktsar senior superintendent of police (SSP) Abhimanyu Rana said that the case has been registered under Section 299 (malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in addition to the new Act. While the SSP noted that the incident does not prima facie appear to be a deliberate act of mischief, a team under deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Harpreet Singh Mann is currently questioning residents.
The recovered pages, numbering around 40, were handed over to a local gurdwara for maryada (religious code of conduct).
Mann said that the cover of the prayer book was missing and CCTV footage from the area is being scanned. Investigators are looking into the possibility that the holy book reached the slum via ragpickers who collect scrap and old textbooks from the town and nearby villages.
A team from the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) met the authorities and demanded the identification of culprits and action against them.
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