GS Paul

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 20

The SGPC has announced constitution of its own special investigation team (SIT) to scrutinise the sacrilege attempt at the Golden Temple and revealed the movement of the suspect.

Suspect stopped twice

The suspect tried multiple times to enter the shine and was stopped twice by staff. — Harjinder Singh Dhami, SGPC Chief

Five priests to meet on Dec 25, says Takht

Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh on Monday slammed the Centre and state for showing leniency in punishing perpetrators of sacrilege incidents. On a tweet by Congress MP Abhishek Singhvi, who condemned ‘lynching’, he said if the rule of law failed to give justice, what should the Sikhs do. He said a meeting of Five High Priests had been called for December 25. TNS

SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said the SIT would comprise two members each from the SGPC, Sikh organisations and Panthic scholars. He said the SIT would coordinate with the police to investigate the matter. He asked both the Centre and state government to bring in provisions for at least life imprisonment by amending Section 295-A.

The CCTV footage revealed the accused had attempted multiple times to enter the shrine. Dhami said though he was intercepted by the SGPC staffers at the main entrance from the Ghanta Ghar side, apparently due to his suspicious activities, he used another access from Sri Guru Ram Dass Langar Hall to gain entry. “Our ‘sewadar’ (SGPC task force) at the main entrance had intercepted him. He returned from another entry point,” he said.

Questions were being raised as to why he was not handed over to the police when his suspicious activities were already noticed by the SGPC.

The CCTV footage suggested the suspect reached the entrance plaza at 8.30 am on December 18 through Heritage Street. He was captured in the CCTV cameras at 9.38 am near the Langar Hall where he partook of langar. He entered the shrine premises at 10.19 am and came out at 11.45 am.

After some time, he again entered through the same route and remained in the parikrama for quite some time. “He was again spotted at 2.42 pm near the ‘Darshani Deodi’. Incidentally, he was again questioned by a ‘sewadar’. When he could not produce a satisfactory reply about his ID, the sewadar made him exit the premises. He re-entered around 5 pm after sewadars’ shift got over and stood in the queue. After 45 minutes, he entered the sanctum sanctorum and jumped over the metal grill,” the SPGC president said.