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The Print
11 hours ago
- Politics
- The Print
A blaze, a ‘missing' report & no closure. Ghost of 1986 Nakodar killings returns to Punjab
'Nakodar killings' refer to the Punjab police and paramilitary forces firing at a group of All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) members, who were protesting against the desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib. Four Sikh youth were killed on 4 February 1986 in Nakodar, and several others injured in the firing. Stating that the issue was like a 'chronic wound' on the psyche of the Sikhs in Punjab, Sandhwan added that those responsible for the 'tragic episode' ought to be punished. Chandigarh: The nearly four-decade-old infamous Nakodar killings is back in the news after Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan set up a house committee last week to trace a lost report on the police firing on protesters in 1986. The then Akali government, led by Surjit Singh Barnala, set up a commission of inquiry under retired Justice Gurnam Singh to find out if the police firing was unwarranted. The commission concluded that several police officers used excessive force to control a situation which could have been avoided from developing. Though the report was submitted in October 1986, it went missing for over a decade only to resurface in 2001 when it was tabled in the Vidhan Sabha. However, while the findings were made public, it is still not publicly known about the action, if any, was taken on the report. What report says On 2 February 1986, five saroops (forms) of the Guru Granth Sahib were destroyed in a fire at the Guru Arjun Dev Gurdwara in Nakodar. The 55 page report–a copy of which was digitised by the Punjab Digital Library and is in public domain–states that the saroops were kept in a small room adjoining the main hall of the gurudwara and while the exact cause of the fire was not known, it was believed that this was a deliberate attempt to desecrate the Guru Granth Sahib. The incident flared communal anger and the AISSF, then a radical group of Sikh students, launched a protest demanding the arrest of Ramesh Chopra, the then president of the Shiv Sena in Nakodar, who, they alleged, was responsible for the fire. The AISSF carried out a march in the city on 3 February, damaging public property. The same evening, Shama Kant Jalota, the Punjab president of the Shiv Sena, carried out a counter march with the particpants damaging property. Apart from the FIR registered in the fire incident, two separate FIRs were registered against the two sets of protesters. Curfew was imposed in Nakodar. The next day, a large number of AISSF members gathered outside Nakodar leading to Jaladhar. In defiance of the curfew orders, the crowd started marching into the city. The report said that the police and civil administration on duty claimed that the crowd turned violent and engaged in firing, forcing them to fire. Four youths—Ravinder Singh Littran, Baldhir Singh Ramgarh, Jhirmal Singh Gursiana, and Harminder Singh—were killed. Their bodies were not handed over to the families but cremated by the police. The report however, concluded that the gathered crowd was 'agitated but peaceful' and only wanted to enter Nakodar to have a look at the burnt saroops with no intention of causing harm. 'Had the police not used force on the crowd that day, it would not have led to any major law and order problem. The use of force was unwarranted and avoidable,' it said. The four protesters, it said, were shot from up close and eight others were injured. It added that the police, on the other hand, received only minor injuries. The report pointed out that the police and civil administration did not appreciate the gravity of the occurrence and did nothing to assuage the anger among the Sikhs. It added that the possibility of sabotage cannot be brushed aside as an 'accident' as was claimed by the police. It said the police had already registered an FIR and should investigate the case thoroughly. Apart from Part 1 of the report which runs into 55 pages and another four pages of annexures, the portion of Part 2 that contains depositions by those examined by the commission, files containing evidence and documents listed in the contents of the Part 1 are unavailable in the public domain. Political agenda behind move? On Tuesday, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that a copy of the report on the 'tragic incidents of the year 1986' was available in the Vidhan Sabha. 'But the action-taken part has mysteriously disappeared,' he said during discussions on the Punjab Prevention of Crime Against Religious Scriptures Bill, 2025, urging the Speaker to form a committee to locate this crucial report. Hitting out at Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira whose father Sukhjinder Singh Khaira was the education minister in the Barnala government, Cheema said that the report's missing part will enable the people to ascertain the truth behind the 1986 incidents and understand the actions of those involved at that time, and see the reality of their 'descendants'' current actions. Khaira responded saying that the entire move was not to get justice but to spread falsehoods, leading to a heated exchange. Cheema said Khaira's father opposed the construction of a memorial gate outside the village of one of the victims. Khaira asserted that the memorial gate was duly constructed and dared Cheema to have an open debate. The speaker intervened and asked Khaira not to disrupt the House proceedings failing which he will have to take action against him. Leader of the opposition Partap Singh Bajwa got up to say that Cheema was getting 'personal' in the discussion. Also Read: With 3rd bill in 9 years, Punjab renews push for tougher sacrilege law. What's different this time Not the first time This is the second time in seven years that the matter came up in the Punjab assembly. In February 2019, when the Congress was in power, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) demanded that the report be made public. At the death anniversary of one of the victims in Littran village Sandhwan, then an AAP MLA, said the matter will be raised in the assembly. Subsequently, the then AAP legislator demanded that the report be made public. The then Speaker Rana Kanwar Pal Singh said that it was tabled in the Vidhan Sabha in March 2001 and it was a public document accessible to anyone. The Speaker, however, added that the government had not submitted the action-taken report (ATR). Phoolka replied that even if the report was tabled, the fact that it was not accompanied by an ATR makes it a document that has no legality. In August 2018, another AAP MLA, Kanwar Sandhu, highlighted the Nakodar killings during a House discussion. Later, Sandhu wrote to the then chief minister Amarinder Singh, seeking the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and action on the findings of the report. In his letter, Sandhu, a former journalist, said that he managed to access the report through sources in March 1987. Referring to his subsequent reportage for The Tribune, he said the commission held several senior government officers and police personnel guilty for the killings. The officers in question, he added, went on to occupy senior positions in the government. 'It's all distraction' Baldev Singh, the father of Ravinder, is the only surviving family member among the kin of those killed in the firing. In a statement Wednesday, Baldev said the government was 'distracting' the issue and was doing nothing substantial to ensure justice to the affected families. The matter, he said, was talked about a lot by Sandhwan and Cheema when they were opposition MLAs. 'However, while being in power for over three years now, the AAP government has not done anything to get us justice. We have written seven letters to CM Bhagwant Mann and all these have been sent to Cheema and Sandhwan as well.' Baldev added that his request to Speaker Sandhwan was misinterpreted by the advocate general's office resulting in the disposal of his petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court in order to shield the perpetrators of the killings. In 2019, the distraught man filed a plea in the HC seeking the registration of a criminal case of murder against then district magistrate (DM), Darbara Singh Guru; then senior superintendent of police (SSP) Mohd Izhar Alam, and then SP (Operations) Ashwani Kumar Sharma. In October 2023, the government told the HC that a SIT was set up to probe the Nakodar killings. If the AAP government was really committed to giving justice, Baldev said, it should facilitate a time-bound inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to get to the bottom of how the four youth were killed and how a part of the report went missing. 'File charges and arrest the police officials responsible for these atrocities. Without accountability, there is no closure.' Following Baldev's statement, Khaira said Cheema and Sandhwa owed explanation over the matter. Now that Baldev Singh father of 1986 Nakodar Firing victim Ravinder Singh has come in public domain to condemn Speaker @SpeakerSandhwan & Fm @HarpalCheemaMLA for 'blocking his efforts to bring culprits to justice during 3.5 years of @AamAadmiParty rule' i dare these fake… — Sukhpal Singh Khaira (@SukhpalKhaira) July 17, 2025 Radicals seek revenge The Nakodar episode made news in September last when a terror module run by Pakistan-based gangster-turned-militant Harvinder Singh Rinda allegedly carried out a low-intensity blast at a residential house in Sector 10, Chandigarh. According to the police, retired SSP Jaskirat Singh Chahal, who lived in the house till 2023, was the likely target. For the past several years. Chahal, along with his family, lived there on the first floor as tenants till 2023 before shifting to Jalandhar. The retired officer has been on the hit list of Sikh militants since 1986 when he was the Nakodar station house officer at the time of the firing. Radical Sikh outfits allege that while three protesters were killed on the spot, one survived the initial firing, but Chahal killed him a day later. Chahal had security cover till October 2017 when the Punjab government withdrew his security. He challenged the orders in the HC on the grounds of being a decorated police officer. He said he got the police medal for gallantry in November 1987 after apprehending militant Gurminder Singh alias Nutty, who tried to escape after firing at a police party with the service rifle of a head constable, killing two constables. Relating his story of the Nakodar killings, Chahal told the court that he played a vital role in preventing communal riots in Nakodar in February 1986. However, in 2022, the HC upheld the government's decision on the grounds that one cannot claim personal security cover as a matter of right for perpetuity. The police intelligence wing also reported no dangers to the petitioner's life, it added. (Edited by Tony Rai) Also Read: Punjab is new Kingdom of Kejriwal as CM Mann plays host but Delhi AAP takes over power corridors
The Print
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Print
With 3rd bill in 9 years, Punjab renews push for tougher sacrilege law. What's different this time
The bill proposes harsher punishments for those involved in the sacrilege of holy scriptures, including the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikhs, considered to be a living guru. Chandigarh: The Punjab assembly Tuesday unanimously decided to refer the Punjab Prevention of Offences Against Holy Scriptures Bill, 2025, to a select committee of MLAs. This committee will seek suggestions from all stakeholders, including the public, regarding its provisions. This is the third time in the past 9 years that the Punjab government has sought to bring in legislation to stiffen the laws relating to sacrilege. The state's earlier proposals sought to amend the Indian Penal Code (IPC) to provide for graver criminal punishments, while the bill introduced in the assembly Monday seeks to bring in a new self-contained Act on the matter. The subject of criminal law is on the concurrent list of the seventh schedule of the Constitution, on which both Parliament and state legislatures can enact laws. However, in case a state bill is in conflict with 'or repugnant to' a central law on the same issue, it requires the assent of the President. The earlier proposals of the Punjab government targeting sacrilege were returned by the Centre after they were referred to the President for assent. While on one occasion the proposed changes were found 'excessive in law', on the other, the Centre refrained from taking a decision on the 'tricky affair'. Speaking to PTI Monday evening after introducing the anti-sacrilege bill in the assembly, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that if enacted, it would be the first-of-its-kind Act in the country. After the bill was passed by the cabinet, a spokesperson from the Chief Minister's Office said in a statement there have been numerous incidents involving the sacrilege of the Guru Granth Sahib and other revered granths, deeply wounding public sentiment and causing unrest in society. He stated that while Sections 298, 299 and 300 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, that replaced the IPC last year, address such issues, they do not prescribe sufficiently stringent penalties to serve as an effective deterrent. Considering the gravity of such offences and the imperative to preserve communal harmony and religious sanctity, the Punjab cabinet found it necessary to introduce state-specific legislation providing enhanced penalties—including life imprisonment—for those convicted of sacrilege against any holy book. Speaker Sandhwan before beginning proceedings of the House stood up to say special prayers Monday when the bill was introduced, and Tuesday when it was discussed. He prayed that the bill should see the light of day for the 'protection of the glory and dignity of religion'. According to data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Punjab in 2021 clocked 189 cases of sacrilege, the highest in India. In 2022, the number went up to over 200, again the highest in the country. Also Read: From Sidhu to Badal & Kejriwal, why politicians across all parties are on Punjab temple run Old and new punishments Till last year, for all incidents of sacrilege, the police invoked Sections 295 and 295A of the IPC, dealing with offences related to religious sentiments. After the IPC was replaced by the BNS, all incidents of sacrilege are covered under Sections 298 and 299. Section 298 provides imprisonment for a term which may extend to 2 years, or fine, or both, for any person who 'destroys, damages or defiles any place of worship or any object held sacred by any class of persons' with the intention of thereby insulting their religion. Section 299 provides for imprisonment up to three years or fine, or both, for any person who 'with deliberate and malicious intention of outraging the religious feelings of any class of citizens of India insults or attempts to insult the religion or religious beliefs'. Section 298 replicates Section 295 of the IPC, while Section 299 replicates section 295A of the IPC. Punjab's new bill proposes a minimum sentence of 10 years of imprisonment extendable up to life, besides a fine of Rs 5 lakh extendable up to Rs 10 lakh for sacrilege of 'holy' scriptures. Holy scriptures have been defined to include the Guru Granth Sahib or extracts thereof, including 'Pothis' and 'Gutka Sahibs', the Bhagavad Gita, the Quran and the Bible. The bill defines the term offence to mean and include 'any sacrilege, damage, destruction, defacing, disfiguring, decolouring, defiling, decomposing, burning, breaking or tearing of any holy scriptures or part thereof'. Offences under the bill will be cognisable, non-bailable, non-compoundable and triable by the sessions court. Investigation of offences will be conducted by a police officer not below the rank of a Deputy Superintendent of Police. Any 'attempt' (distinguished from a completed offence) to commit an offence will be punished with a minimum of three years in jail, extendable to five years and with a fine up to Rs 3 lakh. In Pakistan—which also follows penal provisions enacted by the British colonial government in 1860—Section 295 of the nation's penal code, like the IPC provision, leads to 2 years in jail. Section 295A, however, invites 10 years of imprisonment over deliberate and malicious intention to outrage religious feelings. The Pakistan government further added the stringent Section 295B to protect the Quran in 1982. The punishment for defiling it is imprisonment for life. Then, in 1986, it added Section 295C, which carries a mandatory death sentence for derogatory remarks about the Prophet Mohammed or other prophets. 2015 sacrilege trigger Punjab's move to bring in stricter legislation was triggered by a series of incidents of sacrilege of the Guru Granth Sahib in 2015. A bir (form) of the holy book was stolen from a village gurdwara in Faridkot in June that year. A few months later, pages believed to have been torn from it were found strewn in a nearby village. These incidents were followed by multiple incidents of sacrilege of various Sikh texts, as well as the Quran and Bhagavad Gita. Facing severe backlash in handling of the sacrilege cases, in March 2016 the then Akali Dal-BJP government passed a bill in the assembly to amend the IPC. The amendment sought to add Section 295AA, which provided for life imprisonment for sacrilege of the Guru Granth Sahib. It also sought enhancement of punishment under Section 295 of the IPC from two years to 10 years. The SAD-BJP government drew a distinction between the Guru Granth Sahib, considered a living guru by the Sikhs, and scriptures of other religions which were to be covered under Section 295 with an enhanced punishment. Another related bill was passed to amend the first schedule of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), 1973. The Governor gave his assent to the two bills on 28 April, 2016, and they were sent for presidential assent as they involved amendments to central Acts. The Union home ministry, however, returned the Indian Penal Code (Punjab Amendment) Bill to the Punjab government following legal opinion that the proposed law would violate the principle of secularism and the sentence (life imprisonment) prescribed was 'excessive in law'. In 2018, when Captain Amarinder Singh was CM, his government withdrew the 2016 bills and a fresh amendment proposal was passed by the assembly, this time to include holy books of all religions, to tide over the objection raised by the home ministry. The amended Section 295AA read: 'Whoever causes injury, damage or sacrilege to the Guru Granth Sahib, the Bhagavad Gita, the Quran and the Bible with the intention to hurt the religious feelings of the people, shall be punished with imprisonment for life'. Another bill to amend the CrPC accordingly was also passed. But these bills too were never enacted. In December 2021, then deputy chief minister of Punjab, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, wrote to the home ministry to clear the bills but the Centre chose not to take a decision on them. Sources at the time told ThePrint that the central government saw it as a tricky affair, that would amount to opening the proverbial pandora's box across states which might differ in their definition of 'sacrilege'. The bills were returned by the Centre after the BNS replaced the IPC last year. Speaking Tuesday during the discussion on the latest bill, this time enacted by the Aam Aadmi Party-led government in Punjab, education minister Harjot Singh Bains said Punjab was fully competent to bring about an Act for the state. 'The subject matter is in the concurrent list. States like UP, Uttarakhand and Maharashtra have enacted their own criminal laws on various issues. The earlier government was taking people for a ride by trying to bring about amendments in the IPC. What was needed then is a state Act which we are bringing now,' he said. Also Read: The 3 granths in Sikhism & the debate surrounding Sarbloh Granth & Dasam Granth Views of Punjab legislators, SGPC The latest version of the anti-sacrilege bill was unanimously welcomed by legislators but elicited a variety of responses. Speaking in the assembly, leader of the opposition Partap Singh Bajwa said that the Guru Granth Sahib had been equated with other holy scriptures and that was wrong. 'A living guru cannot be the same as a scripture. Also, the theft of a scripture has not been added as an offence in the law,' he added. Bajwa further said that investigation in the sacrilege cases should be time-bound, limited to one month at the level of DSP and the period increased only after clearance from senior officers. 'If the investigation is needed for a longer period, it should be allowed only after permission from senior officers,' he asserted. Independent MLA Rana Inder Pratap Singh also said the 'Guru Grath Sahib is not a sacred book but a juristic person as laid down by the Supreme Court and cannot be equated with other sacred books'. He added that attempt to commit sacrilege should also be awarded with life imprisonment. Congress MLA Avtar Singh Junior said that several changes had been brought in the bill that had widened its scope. 'I suggest we have a religious harmony council which should consider the bill,' he asserted, adding that the bill provided for unbridled powers to the police which could be misused for political vendetta. 'The investigations should be held in strict scrutiny of a judicial commission and there should be an end to the probe in 2 years,' he said. On Wednesday, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami welcomed the bill but stressed that the government must approach the matter with seriousness. Speaking to the media, he pointed out that this was not the first time that such a law was being discussed and the matter should be taken forward in the spirit of respecting sentiments. He added that most incidents of sacrilege in Punjab were related to the Guru Granth Sahib, and the proposed law's language merely referring to 'holy scriptures' was inadequate and hurts Sikh sentiments. According to him, while scriptures of all faiths were to be respected, the Guru Granth Sahib was accorded the status of eternal guru by the 10th Sikh Guru Gobind Singh himself. For Sikhs thus, any law made in this regard must contain provisions keeping their sentiments in mind. Former Minister of State and senior BJP leader Vijay Sampla alleged in a statement to the media that the AAP government had shown its 'anti-Dalit mindset' by not including provisions for punishment over disrespect towards the idols and holy scriptures of Sri Guru Ravidass (Amritbani), Bhagwan Valmiki, Sant Kabir and Sant Nabhadas in the bill. Also Read: Who were the men lynched for 'sacrilege' in Amritsar & Kapurthala? No clue yet, say police Sacrilege an emotive issue Sacrilege, especially of the Guru Granth Sahib, has become an emotive political issue in Punjab over the past 10 years. The Congress and AAP made it their main poll plank in the 2017 assembly elections that led to crushing defeat of the SAD-BJP government. After the Congress came to power in the state, it held multiple investigations into the 2015 incidents of sacrilege, laying blame at the doors of the Badals during whose reign the incidents had taken place. The AAP too, alleging that the Congress had not been able to give justice in the matter in five years of its rule, made sacrilege a dominant election issue in 2022. On Wednesday, Bajwa told the assembly that the AAP had failed to nab the culprits in the sacrilege cases. 'Why haven't names of the then CM Parkash Singh Badal and his son, then home minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, not been added to a chargesheet issued by the state police in a case related to police firing on innocent Sikhs protesting against sacrilege incidents in 2015?' he asked. He said the AAP was as responsible for the accused going scot-free as anyone else. 'The same bill had been passed by the Congress in 2018 but no effort was made by the AAP government to follow it up with the Centre. The CM should have met the PM over the matter,' he added. SAD MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali said enough politics had been done in the matter. For some years now, Punjab has topped the country in the number of sacrilege cases. NCRB data shows that from 2018 to 2020, Punjab's rate of crimes (number of cases divided by population in lakhs) registered under Sections 295 to 297 of the IPC, which deal with sacrilege, was the highest. In 2018, the sacrilege crime rate in the state was 0.7 percent, while in other states this ranged between 0.1 and 0.4 percent. The figure for Punjab was 0.6 percent in 2019 and 0.5 percent in 2020. In 2017, when the NCRB first started giving data about these crimes, Goa registered the highest rate at 0.8 percent, and Punjab was second highest at 0.6 percent. The total number of such cases registered in Punjab from 2017 to 2020 was 721. While the new leadership in Punjab has refused to make public the latest data on the total number of sacrilege cases registered and the status of their investigation, it is widely alleged that in most such cases, the culprit is not punished in accordance with the law but let off on grounds of 'insanity'. Referring to the insanity plea in the assembly Tuesday, CM Mann said it was the easiest way for criminals to get away with the worst kind of sacrilege. 'For us, a guru is a father. If the father is not safe in our house, where else will he be safe?' he asked. 'Beadbi' in Sikhism The concept of beadbi or sacrilege in Sikhism emanates largely from the fact that Sikhs consider the Guru Granth Sahib to be a living Guru. 'This is how it was ordained by the 10th Guru, Guru Gobind Singh. The Guru Granth Sahib and everything associated with it is sacred. Since the Guru is considered to be a living being, any harm or disrespect to it is a serious offence for the Sikhs,' Professor Dharam Singh, an eminent Sikh scholar, told ThePrint. The gurdwara, which literally means the abode of the guru, and the articles used in the service of the guru are also considered sacred. So are the dastaar or pagri, the headgear worn by Sikhs, and the kirpaan, the sword that baptised Sikhs carry. The hair and beard maintained by Sikhs are also seen as sacred, and touching or disrespecting these amounts to sacrilege. 'An alteration of Sikh religious traditions and practices, or a distortion of the history of the gurus is also sacrilege,' Singh added. Operation Blue Star, in which the Army entered the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the holiest of Sikh shrines, in 1984 to flush out Sikh militants, is considered the biggest incident of beadbi in modern Sikh history. 'Indira Gandhi (who ordered the Army to enter the Golden Temple) paid a price for it with her life. Men in uniform, whether from the army or the police, have not been allowed to enter the gurdwara in uniform ever since,' said Singh. In 2007, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, head of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect, donned attire like that of Guru Gobind Singh, which led to violent clashes between Sikhs and Dera followers. The Dera chief was booked for sacrilege and excommunicated by the Akal Takht, which also instructed all Sikhs not to have any dealings with Dera followers. The enmity between Dera followers and Sikhs continues till date. (Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui) Also Read: 82% Sikh youth pray frequently, highly religious compared to others, shows CSDS-Lokniti survey
Scroll.in
6 days ago
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Punjab Assembly refers anti-sacrilege bill to select committee for consultation
The Punjab Assembly on Tuesday referred a bill, which proposes life imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh for acts of sacrilege against religious scriptures, to a select committee of legislators for the consultation with stakeholders, PTI reported. The 2025 Punjab Prevention of Offences Against Holy Scripture(s) Bill was tabled in the Assembly by the Aam Aadmi Party government on Monday. The bill proposes strict punishment for desecration of holy scriptures, including the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the Bhagavad Gita, the Bible and the Quran. It proposes minimum imprisonment of 10 years and a minimum fine of Rs 5 lakh for persons found guilty of sacrilege, the newspaper reported. It also states that an attempt to commit such an offence may lead to a jail term of three years to five years and a fine up to Rs 3 lakh. The bill noted that offences under the proposed law would be cognisable, non-bailable and non-compoundable, The Indian Express reported. The cases would be tried in a sessions court. As per the bill, an offence is defined as sacrilege, damage, destruction, defacing, disfiguring, de-colouring, de-filling, decomposing, burning, breaking or tearing of any holy scripture or its part, PTI reported. On Monday, a government spokesperson told The Indian Express that there had been several incidents involving the sacrilege of the Guru Granth Sahib and other religious texts. This deeply hurt public sentiments and caused unrest in society, the spokesperson said, adding that sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita addressed such offences but did not prescribe sufficiently stringent penalties to serve as an effective deterrent. 'Considering the gravity of such offences and the imperative to preserve communal harmony and religious sanctity, the Cabinet found it necessary to introduce state-specific legislation providing enhanced penalties – including life imprisonment – for those convicted of sacrilege against any holy granth,' The Indian Express quoted the spokesperson as saying. During the discussion on the bill in the Assembly on Tuesday, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that the proposed legislation would ensure that no heinous crime takes place by making a provision of the sternest punishment against culprits, PTI reported. The special session of the Assembly had been called after the chief minister met representatives of the Sarb Dharam Beadbi Rokko Kanoon Morcha, an organisation whose activist Gurjeet Singh Khalsa has been protesting atop a 400-foot telecom tower for 275 days demanding the law, The Indian Express reported.
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Business Standard
7 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Anti-sacrilege bill will deter future desecration of scriptures: Punjab CM
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday said the Anti-sacrilege Bill will ensure that no such heinous crime takes place in the future by making provision of the sternest punishment against culprits. Mann stated this while participating in a debate on the 'Punjab Prevention of Offences Against Holy Scripture(s) Bill 2025' on the concluding day of the Special Session of the Punjab Assembly here. The House on Tuesday decided to refer the Bill, which was introduced on Monday, to a Select Committee of the Assembly for seeking views of all stakeholders. Mann said the Guru Granth Sahib is the living Guru, who is highly revered by one and all across the globe. He said the 'Guru Granth Sahib' is a lighthouse of peace and tranquility for the entire mankind, and the Punjab government is "fully alive" to the deep emotional hurt caused by the incidents of sacrilege against the holy 'granths' in the past. He said it is unfortunate that some forces had even gone to an extent of committing the most heinous sin against mankind through desecration of the 'Guru Granth Sahib', a holy book revered by the Sikh community. Mann said the 'Guru Granth Sahib' is an eternal Guru for mankind and no one could ever tolerate the dastardly act of sacrilege. Likewise, he said the 'Bhagavad Gita', 'Quran', 'Bible' and other 'granths' are also respected by humanity for showing a way of life to them. Mann said every devout Sikh is deeply connected with the 'Shabad Guru' - in the form of the 'Guru Granth Sahib' and Gurmukhi, which means originating from the mouth of Guru. Mann said the sacrilege incidents had bruised the psyche of every Punjabi in general and every Sikh in particular. In the absence of harsh punishment against this "unpardonable crime", there was no end to these incidents due to which the Bill was necessitated, he said. According to the Bill, any person found guilty of sacrilege may face imprisonment ranging from 10 years to life. The guilty shall also be liable to pay a fine of Rs 5 lakh, which may extend up to Rs 10 lakh. Those attempting to commit the offence may be sentenced to three to five years and shall also be liable to pay a fine which may extend up to Rs 3 lakh, as per the Bill. Individuals found abetting the crime will be punished in accordance with the offence committed. Under the Bill, offence means any sacrilege, damage, destruction, defacing, disfiguring, de-colouring, de-filling, decomposing, burning, breaking or tearing of any holy scripture or part thereof.
News18
15-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
India's First Anti-Sacrilege Bill: What AAP's Punjab Move Means for Religious Offences
Last Updated: Sacrilege includes any act that defaces, damages, burns, tears, or otherwise desecrates a holy scripture or any of its parts The Punjab government, led by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), introduced a new and stringent Bill aimed at preventing religious sacrilege on Monday. Titled The Punjab Prevention of Offences Against Holy Scripture(s) Bill, 2025, the proposed legislation has stirred both support and controversy for its sweeping provisions and harsh punishments. News18 takes a detailed look at the Bill, what counts as sacrilege, and why the move matters. What Is the Anti-Sacrilege Bill? The Punjab cabinet approved the draft of what it calls India's first comprehensive anti-sacrilege legislation. The Bill seeks to criminalise acts of desecration or insult to sacred religious texts of all faiths, including the Guru Granth Sahib, Bhagavad Gita, Bible, and Quran Sharif. According to NDTV, the Bill applies across faiths and aims to send a strong deterrent message after years of repeated sacrilege incidents in the state. The proposed law was introduced during a special session of the Punjab Assembly and will be examined by a select committee before it can become a law. What Counts as 'Sacrilege'? Under the Bill, sacrilege is defined broadly. It includes any act that defaces, damages, burns, tears, or otherwise desecrates a holy scripture or any of its parts. This includes deliberate attempts to insult a religion through such acts. As per Moneycontrol, the definition goes beyond physical damage to include any wilful act perceived as an insult to the holy book's sanctity. Supporters argue this is necessary to uphold religious sentiments, while critics warn that such broad definitions could be misused. Why Has the Law Been Proposed Now? Punjab has witnessed several high-profile incidents of sacrilege, particularly since 2015. The desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib in Bargari and police firing on protesters in Behbal Kalan became flashpoints for public anger. Since then, demands for stricter legal action have grown. Previous governments attempted to introduce similar laws. The SAD-BJP coalition passed amendments in 2016, and the Congress government followed with its own version in 2018. However, those efforts failed after objections from the Centre, particularly over singling out one religion. The current Bill, according to The Tribune, has been worded to apply equally to scriptures of all religions in an effort to withstand legal scrutiny. Adding urgency to the matter was a recent protest by social activist Gurjeet Singh Khalsa, who spent over 270 days atop a mobile tower demanding action against sacrilege. His protest helped bring public and political attention back to the issue. What Punishments Does the Bill Propose? The penalties outlined in the bill are severe: • Life imprisonment for anyone found guilty of committing sacrilege against a holy scripture. • A fine ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh in addition to the prison term. • If the act of sacrilege leads to communal violence, injury, or death, the punishment escalates to a minimum of 20 years to life imprisonment, with fines up to Rs 20 lakh. • The Bill also states that those convicted will not be eligible for parole. Attempts to commit sacrilege will attract 3-5 years of imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs 3 lakh. Abetment of the offence is punishable similarly to committing it. There is also a unique provision that holds guardians liable: if a minor or a person with a disability commits sacrilege, their parent or guardian may face prosecution, depending on the circumstances. The offences under this Bill are non-bailable, non-compoundable, and cognizable. Only a police officer of the rank of DSP or above will be allowed to investigate such cases. AAP Vs Congress On Bill The discussion on the Bill was deferred to Tuesday after Leader of Opposition, Congress' Partap Singh Bajwa, said members need time to prepare to share their views on the Bill. 'How can we debate on such a delicate issue without going through the draft?" he asked. However, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann trained his guns on Bajwa. 'I introduced the Bill. It should be considered immediately. Bajwa-ji is saying he has no information about the Bill. It is sad that if he does not have information about the desecration of Guru Sahib, then where has he been? Ask a five-year-old child what happened in Bargari? What happened in Behbal Kalan? What happened in Kotkapura? 'He says that he will come tomorrow [Tuesday] after preparing. We said okay. Surprisingly, the Congress has to prepare even in the case of desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib. They cannot talk without doing homework. No problem, come tomorrow after preparing. We will discuss tomorrow," he said. Responding to the criticism, Bajwa said: 'The Punjab chief minister had promised that if his party comes to power, it will do justice in sacrilege cases within 24 hours. But even today, after three-and-a-half years of this government, they do not even have a rough draft ready for this. You will be surprised that a similar Bill was brought by the Congress government in 2018. I would like to tell the House that the Bill was passed unanimously." About the Author Apoorva Misra Apoorva Misra is News Editor at with over nine years of experience. She is a graduate from Delhi University's Lady Shri Ram College and holds a PG Diploma from Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. More Get Latest Updates on Movies, Breaking News On India, World, Live Cricket Scores, And Stock Market Updates. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! 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