Bargari sacrilege: In major embarrassment for Punjab police, key accused detained at Bengaluru airport turns out to be a case of mistaken identity

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 24

Punjab Police Wednesday said a man who was held at the Bangalore Airport on Tuesday was not Sandeep Bareta, one of the main conspirators in the 2015 sacrilege cases. 

Police said having verified the person detained at the Bangalore Airport, they found that he was not Sandeep Bareta, a man wanted by the Punjab Police, but Sandeep Mannan, a resident of Delhi. 

A man detained by the local police on Tuesday from the Bangalore Airport was claimed to be Bareta.

"A communication from Immigration Authorities, #Bengaluru Airport was received regarding detaining of Sandeep s/o Om Prakash r/o New Delhi) matching the description of Sacrilege accused Sandeep Bareta on the basis of LOC issued by Faridkot Police in Bargari Sacrilege Cases. (1/2)", tweeted Faridkot Police.

"The matter was promptly duly verified. It has been found that the detained person at Bengaluru Airport is not the wanted Sacrilege accused Sandeep Bareta r/o Sirsa, #Haryana (2/2)"

Police had claimed to arrest one of the main conspirators, Sandeep Bareta, from the Bengaluru airport in 2015 Bargari sacrilege incidents in Faridkot.

 Punjab Police in its tweet on Tuesday had said, "Proclaimed Offender in #Bargari Sacrilege cases 'Sandeep Bareta' has been arrested at #Bangalore airport in pursuance of a lookout Notice issued by Punjab Police." Bareta, a proclaimed offender, has a look out notice issued against him by the Punjab Police for being wanted in sacrilege incidents in Punjab's Faridkot.

One of the sacrilege incidents was related to the theft of a 'bir' (copy) of Guru Ganth Sahib in 2015 in Faridkot.

Close on the heels of the theft, several handwritten sacrilegious posters were found put up in the area and torn pages of the holy book were found scattered at Bargari.

The incidents had led to intense anti-sacrilege protests in the district.

Two people were killed in the police firing at anti-sacrilege protesters in Behbal Kalan in October 2015, while a few others were injured in Kotkapura in a similar incident.

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