A mob beat a man to death after an alleged sacrilege attempt at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, in an incident that has stoked tensions over a highly sensitive issue just ahead of elections in Punjab.
What happened at Golden Temple
A video of the incident has surfaced on social media showing the man jumping over the railing inside the Golden Temple during the evening prayer.
According to a witness, the man jumped over the metal grills before the parkash of Guru Granth Sahib. People saw the alleged sacrilege incident on live TV, being telecast by a private channel.
Talking to the media, Parminder Singh Bhandal, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order), said the identity of the deceased is being ascertained.
Maintaining that there was no security lapse, Bhandal said when thousand of pilgrims visit the shrine, one cannot predict such a random act by one individual.
The man was caught by Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) task force members.
When he was being taken to the SGPC office, an angry crowd thrashed him badly that later led to his death.
Deputy Commissioner of Police P S Bhandal said the man, hailing from UP, could be around 25 to 30 years of age and his antecedents are being verified.
A heavy police force has been deployed around the SGPC complex at Teja Singh Samundri Hall to maintain law and order.
