Christians believe charge is false as they are 'often accused of religious conversion' in Sikh majority Punjab state
Christians protest against violence against them in New Delhi in 2019. (Photo: Bijay Kumar Minj)
Police in a northern Indian state have arrested two pastors for allegedly desecrating the Sikh holy book.
Pastors Vicky Masih and Roop Lal of the Believers Church in Golewala village in Faridkot district in Sikh-majority Punjab state were arrested on April 24 for allegedly tearing out pages from the Sri Gutka Sahib, a pocket-sized book containing hymns from Sikh scriptures, and throwing them into the street.
The police swung into action after villagers filed a complaint.
Harjeet Singh, superintendent of police in Faridkot, told reporters that the accused were traced using CCTV cameras in the area.
They were in a car and tore pages from the Sri Gutka Sahib and threw them into the street before fleeing, Singh added.
They are charged with Section 295A (the deliberate and malicious intention of outraging religious feelings of any class) of the Indian Penal Code.
"I am sure this is a trap"
The district court remanded them in police custody for four days.
“We will be questioning the accused to ascertain the motive,” the superintendent said.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, the apex body of the Sikh religion, has demanded strict punishment for the pair.
We condemn the “desecration of the Sikh holy book.” However, we don’t believe that the pastors have done it. I am sure this is a trap “as a few locals have accused the pastors of indulging in religious conversions,” Punjab-based Pastor Hanook Bhatti told UCA News on April 25.
“There are certain vested interest groups who want to divide people for political gain. We suspect that they are behind this incident,” Bhatti said.
However, “it is too early to blame any group at this juncture,” he noted.
“Christianity is being spread in Punjab to weaken us religiously"
Christian activist, Minakshi Singh, told UCA News that “we are praying for the safety of the pastors.”
Christians make up 10 percent of the Sikh-majority Punjab state’s 28 million population.
According to Bhatti, Christians in Punjab, bordering Pakistan, are often accused of religious conversion.
In June last year, Giani Harpreet Singh, a Sikh head priest, sought an end to religious conversion in the state.
“Christianity is being spread in Punjab to weaken us religiously. Churches and mosques are being built in large numbers in Punjab, which is worrisome,” the head priest added.
Singh also asked Sikh preachers to launch a counter drive.
The Nihang Sikhs, an order of Sikh warriors, started protesting against religious conversions and a church was attacked on Aug. 31 last year.
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