Even as two months have passed since a man who allegedly attempted to desecrate the Guru Granth Sahib was lynched by a mob at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the Punjab Police is yet to identify the deceased and the killers in the sacrilege case.
“Since there were so many people present there, one cannot tell who did what and what happened,” Amritsar’s Deputy Commissioner of Police for Law and Order Parminder Singh Bhandal, told The Print.
The DCP said that the image of the alleged perpetrator has been circulated widely, but that no one has come forward with an identification so far.
The precise cause of the death is also yet to be ascertained, he told The Print, saying that forensic labs in Mohali are carrying out the investigation.
What Had Happened?
On 18 December, a man was caught while allegedly attempted to desecrate the Guru Granth Sahib, and was beaten to death by a mob at the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
The man's alleged attempt to sacrilege took place during Rehras Sahib, the daily evening prayers. CCTV footage of the incident showed the man jumping over the railing inside the temple during the evening prayers, trying to touch the sword and the Guru Granth Sahib, when he was caught by the mob.
A day after the murder, the Punjab government formed a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the alleged sacrilege attempt.
The SIT, led by DCP Law and Order Bhandal, found that the all CCTV the deceased had paid several visits to the area before the day of the incident. However, the SIT had failed to establish his identity. After no one came to claim his body, the police had cremated it.
While a case was filed over the sacrilege attempt, the police had said that an FIR will be lodged in connection with the accused's death only after the results of the autopsy.
(With inputs from The Print)
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