Punjab CM says no proof of sacrilege in Kapurthala lynching, gurudwara caretaker arrested

Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Friday said there is no evidence of sacrilege in the mob-killing of a man in Punjab's Kapurthala. The CM added that the FIR would be amended and a murder case will be filed soon.

"We did not find any sacrilege attempt or any evidence to back it. One person ran the Gurdwara. This thing has moved to murder and the inquiry is on. The FIR registered in the case will be amended," CM Channi told reporters.

Soon after the CM's comment, the caretaker of the gurudwara, Amarjit Singh, was arrested and charged with murder. Around 100 unnamed people are also been listed in the case.

On Sunday, a man was beaten to death by a mob after being accused of trying to remove the Sikh religious flag Nishan Sahib at a gurdwara in Kapurthala. The man was chased and killed in the presence of the police.

The incident took place a day after another man was beaten to death at the Golden Temple in Amritsar after an alleged sacrilege attempt.

Addressing the press, Charanjit Singh Channi said that the state police are investigating the incidents of violence at the Golden Temple and Kapurthala.

After the Kapurthala incident, the police had also said that it appeared to be a case of theft and that there were "no visible signs of a sacrilege attempt."

Also Watch: How issue of 'sacrilege' has impacted electoral politics in Punjab in recent years