Arrested youths innocent, say villagers

Tribune News Service

Moga, October 21

Claiming that the two brothers — Rupinder Singh and Jaswinder Singh — arrested by the police on the charge of sacrilege of the ‘bir’ of Guru Granth Sahib at Bargarhi village (Faridkot district) were innocent, the residents of Panjgrain Khurd — the native village of these youths — in Moga district have demanded a CBI inquiry into the allegations levelled against them.

Local SAD leader and block samiti member Gurmeet Singh, Nambardar Atma Singh, panch Dilbagh Singh, many former sarpanches and panches and residents of Panjgrain Khurd village gathered on the premises of the local gurdwara and discussed the arrest of the brothers, who have been baptised Sikhs for the past many years.

Gurmeet Singh said that the arrested youths and their family members, belonging to the Arora Sikh community, were adherents of Sikhism. It was hard to believe that the sacrilege, as claimed by the police, was committed by them.

Baldev Singh, sarpanch of the village, was not present at the gathering. He had reportedly gone to Faridkot to meet the youths in police custody. The gathering claimed that the sarpanch was also in favour of a CBI inquiry.

Atma Singh said that the police seemed to have ‘concocted’ the story of the involvement of Rupinder and Jaswinder.

The people vowed to stand by the youths and pursue their case.

Meanwhile, SGPC member Jagtar Singh Rode, who is leading the protests in Baghapurana sub-division, has demanded the release of the baptised Sikh youths arrested by the police, terming them as innocent. President of AISSF Karnail Singh Peer Mohammad, while demanding the handing over of the investigation to the CBI, said that innocent people should not be made scapegoats. The real culprits must be arrested and action taken as per law.

Sent to police custody

Faridkot: A day after two brothers from Panjgrain Khurd village were arrested, the court of Judicial Magistrate, Ist Class (JMIC), Faridkot, sent them to police custody till October 26.

The Bajakhana police produced Jaswinder and Rupinder Singh in the court of JMIC Shewta Dass at 6.30 am today.

The move to produce the accused in court so early in the day was intended to prevent any protest against their arrest.

The residents of Panjgrain Khurd and adjoining villages are not buying the police theory that Jaswinder Singh (24) and his younger brother Rupinder Singh (22), who are baptised Sikhs, had committed the sacrilege.

A large number of residents of Panjgrain village today assembled in the village gurdwara and were unanimous in their opinion that the youths were being made scapegoats to defuse the tension in the state.

Villagers claimed the brothers had been in the forefront of the protests since a ‘bir’ was stolen from Burj Jawahar Singh Wala village on June 1.