Faridkot, November 6

Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu today paid obeisance at Burj Jawahar Singh Wala village gurdwara, which was at the centre of the 2015 sacrilege cases.

On June 1, 2015, a ‘bir’ of Guru Granth Sahib was stolen from the gurdwara, triggering a series of sacrilege incidents at Bargari and other villages. Subsequent police firing incidents at Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura on October 14, 2015, left two Sikh protesters dead and several injured.

Must act as a deterrent

Ardas at Gurdwara Sahib Burj Jawahar Singh Wala… Praying for exemplary punishment for those involved in the sacrilege… should be a deterrent for generations to come! —Navjot Singh Sidhu, PCC chief

Sidhu stayed at the gurdwara for around 15 minutes and left after paying obeisance and reciting ‘ardas’. Interacting with villagers at the gurdwara, Sidhu desisted from making any comment against the state government. During his visit to the village on April 13, the PCC chief had criticised the state government for “soft-pedalling” in the case. Interacting with local residents, Sidhu asked them pray for early justice in the sacrilege incidents. “Prayers have high power. Almighty will deliver justice and punish the perpetrators of the heinous crime,” he said. — TNS