Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi is being accused of implicitly endorsing lynching for sacrilege as no murder FIR has been lodged against persons who lynched an unknown youth for his alleged act of sacrilege at Amritsar’s Golden Temple.
The debate over Channi’s stands on ‘lynching for sacrilege’ gained momentum in the wake of the Kapurthala case where he ordered FIR for murder. The order came after investigation revealed that the deceased youth had not attempted sacrilege.
Hence in the Kapurthala case, Punjab police arrested the gurdwara granthi, Amarjit Singh, on the charge of murdering an unidentified youth in his twenties. He was a migrant worker and probably hailed from Gopalganj district of Bihar.
But in Amritsar’s Golden Temple case, Channi has not ordered an FIR against people involved in the lynching of that unknown youth. The youth jumped across the railings inside the sanctum sanctorum of the Golden Temple and picked up the ceremonial sword. He was caught by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) task force members and thrashed to death.
Even if the youth attempted sacrilege, lynching can’t be justified. But the silence of Channi on this issue has led people to believe that the Congress government in Punjab endorse lynching for sacrilege.
The duplicitous stance of Punjab Government on lynching is shameful.
— Man Aman Singh Chhina (@manaman_chhina) December 24, 2021
CM Channi says a murder case has been registered in Kapurthala lynching because the man did not commit sacrilege.
While no such case is registered in the Golden Temple lynching because he committed sacrilege?
SIT chief and deputy police commissioner Parminder Singh Bhandal is heading the investigation of the Golden Temple case. To share with the media, he has a plethora of details and disclosure over the deceased youth like the number of times he visited sanctum sanctorum.
But Bhandal has no idea whether police would take action against those who lynched him. “We can’t say anything for now. We are still waiting for or the viscera report to ascertain the exact cause of death,” Times of India quoted him.
Bhandal would wait for the viscera report to decide whether action could be taken or not despite it being a clear case of lynching. He was first to declare that the youth died in an altercation.
Amarinder Singh speaks out against killings while Channi is silent
Channi has said that given the upcoming polls it was possible that some inimical forces or agencies may be trying to play a negative role. As the assembly election is set to take place next year, Channi and the Congress have gone to the extreme to appease Sikh hardliners. Hence, Channi is avoiding any strong statement and action against lynching.
But the silence of Punjab CM is fraught with dangerous consequences that the in future in any case of alleged sacrilege lynch law may replace the law of the land.
Right after the Golden Temple incident, the former Indian Foreign Secretary had bemoaned lynching was being ‘implicitly justified’ because of the sacrilege. “Lawful punishment was needed not outright murder. Taking lessons from Pakistan? Will culprits be identified? Political conspiracy talk is to shift focus from the reality of murder,” he tweeted.
Judging from coverage lynching by devotees not only ignored but implicitly jusified bcoz of sacrilege. Lawful punishment was needed not outright murder.Taking lessons from Pakistan? Will culprits be identified? Pol conspiracy talk is to shift focus from reality of murder. https://t.co/97zCJ9e8Lc
— Kanwal Sibal (@KanwalSibal) December 19, 2021
Ex-CM of Punjab, Captain Amarinder Singh has, however, spoken out against mob lynching since “no civilised society can and should approve of such killings.”
