Foreign link’ behind defilement of Guru Granth Sahib in Punjab

Punjab: Punjab Police arrested of two Sikh brothers named Rupinder Singh and Jaswinder Singh residents of Panjgrain village in Faridkot, on Tuesday evening connection with “foreign-based ” for the defilement of the Guru Granth Sahib in Faridkot district, Punjab. Police announced the couple was taken into custody five days ago after their phone calls with their “handlers” in the US, Australia and Dubai were obstruction by authorities, government sources told. “The guilty Rupinder Singh and his brother had been talking with their chief abroad and arguing about the delivery of cash in lieu of their acts of committing defilement of Guru Granth Sahib”. Additional director general of police (crime) IPS Sahota, who is the head of the special investigation team set up to examine the incidents of sacrilege, said police had traced the accused in five of the seven cases of sacrilege. “The brothers were in touch with someone in Australia,” Sahota said. According to police, the “foreign connection ” of the accused and their funding by “foreign-based handlers” has been established. The two brothers became “soft targets of anti-national forces” because of their greed. The incidents occurs in Kohrian (Sangrur), Nijjarpura (Amritsar), Ghawaddi (Ludhiana) and Bathh (Tarn Taran) were of a “localised nature”, police said. Deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said a hurriedly convened news conference on Tuesday the Punjab government will unearth all conspiracies behind the October 12 desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib at Bargari village in Faridkot district, which led to widespread “emotional outbursts” across the state. Six people have been arrested so far in connection with the seven incidents that took place in Faridkot, Sangrur, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Bhatinda and Ferozepur. Ten companies of paramilitary forces, comprising 1,000 personnel, were deployed in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Tarn Taran districts in view of the sensitive situation. They conducted flag marches in several parts of the state along with the police on Tuesday. Sikh community organised dharnas and protest marches in several cities, including Kapurthala and Hoshiarpur, and educational institutions remained closed in Kapurthala, Moga, Bathinda and Ferozepur on Tuesday.