Punjab Congress poses question: ‘will culprits of 2015 sacrilege face action’

Weather ePaper Today’s Paper Journalism of Courage Home ePaper Politics Explained Opinion India Business Premium Cities UPSC Entertainment Sports World Lifestyle Tech Subscribe Sign In TrendingUPSC OfferIPL 2026US NewsPuzzles & GamesLegal NewsFresh TakeHealthResearch🎙️ Podcast Advertisement function checkAndLoadWindowSizeScript() { if (window.jQuery) { // jQuery is loaded, include your script jQuery(document).ready(function($) { // Your existing script for checking window width if (window.innerWidth) var page_w = window.innerWidth; else if (document.all) var page_w = document.body.clientWidth; if (page_w > 1024) { $(".add-left, .add-right").show(); } else { $(".add-left, .add-right").hide(); } }); } else { // jQuery is not loaded, check again after 0.2 seconds setTimeout(checkAndLoadWindowSizeScript, 200); } } // Initial call to the function checkAndLoadWindowSizeScript(); NewsCitiesChandigarhPunjab Congress poses question: 'will culprits of 2015 sacrilege face action' Punjab Congress poses question: ‘will culprits of 2015 sacrilege face action’ According to the new law, any person who commits sacrilege shall get a minimum of seven years of imprisonment, extendable up to 20 years, along with a fine of Rs 2 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. By: Express News Service3 min readChandigarhUpdated: Apr 21, 2026 08:44 AM IST Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said the AAP government has enacted the law months before the state goes to polls to “befool the people”. (Source: FB) Make us preferred source on Google Whatsapp twitter Facebook Reddit PRINT On a day the Punjab government notified the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026, the Congress asked the AAP government whether the culprits of the 2015 sacrilege incidents and police firing at the anti-sacrilege protesters will face the law. State Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said the AAP government has enacted the law months before the state goes to polls to “befool the people”. “The question is whether the culprits of the Behbal Kalan and Bargari incidents will get punishment. People want justice in the Behbal Kalan and Bargari incidents. If it (justice) is not being delivered, then there is no use of this act. After four years, you (AAP government) enacted this law to fool people,” said Warring. The PCC chief, was accompanied by Congress MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, was addressing the media. According to the new law, any person who commits sacrilege shall get a minimum of seven years of imprisonment, extendable up to 20 years, along with a fine of Rs 2 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. Any person who in criminal conspiracy, commits sacrilege with an intention to disrupt peace or communal harmony, shall get a minimum of 10 years of imprisonment, extendable up to life imprisonment, along with a fine of Rs 5 lakh which may extend to Rs 25 lakh, according to the law. Randhawa, while thanking the Governor for giving assent to the Bill, asked the state government whether old cases related to sacrilege would also be brought under the ambit of the new law so that victims can get justice. He also asked whether cases that have been transferred to Chandigarh would come under the purview of the new law. The congress leaders were referring to the theft of a ‘bir’ (copy) of the Guru Ganth Sahib from Burj Jawahar Singh Wala gurdwara, putting up handwritten sacrilegious posters in Bargari and Burj Jawahar Singh Wala and torn pages of the holy book found scattered at Bargar in Faridkot in 2015. These incidents had led to anti-sacrilege protests in Faridkot. In the police firing at anti-sacrilege protesters in October 2015, two persons were killed in Behbal Kalan while some persons were injured at Kotkapura in Faridkot. Randhawa also targeted the AAP government over the law and order situation in Punjab alleging that “gangsters and terrorists, under the protection of the government, are working together to disturb the state’s atmosphere”. Citing Gurdaspur as an example, Randhawa said that recently a jeweler was robbed of approximately Rs 8 crore, during which the attackers fired openly. Following public protests, police arrested two accused and showed a recovery of around Rs 1.75 crore, but the main accused is still absconding and the full amount has not been recovered, he said. He added that this was the fourth major robbery in Gurdaspur city. Randhawa further claimed that during his visit from Amritsar to the Gurdaspur border, he did not see a single police checkpoint, and in many police stations, even officers were absent. He alleged that police stations have been turned into “bunkers,” with high walls, barbed wire, and even electrified fencing, creating an atmosphere of fear among the public. Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram