Bargari sacrilege cases: Transfer of cases out of state blot on Punjab govt, says SGPC

Issuing a statement, Dhami said, “The transfer of trial of Bargari-related three sacrilege cases of Guru Granth Sahib out of Punjab is a blot on the state government. This is the reality about the government’s seriousness in pursuing the sacrilege cases. After a long period of eight years, the challan was presented in the court in these cases, in which, along with his followers, Gurmeet Ram Rahim was also nominated.”

The SGPC president said that the incumbent Punjab government did not strongly pursue these sacrilege cases, which are sensitive as well had hurt the Sikh sentiments.

He said, “The previous Congress-led Punjab government had played politics with these sacrilege cases and now, the AAP dispensation too is not serious about them. The Punjab government should have strongly presented its side in the court, but the state’s failure to do so has hurt the Sikh sentiments.”

Dhami said that the governments are already kind to Dera Sacha Sauda head and special treatment is being given to him by repeatedly releasing him on parole. “The Punjab government should apologise publicly for its failure,” he added.

It may be noted that Pradeep Singh, an accused in 2015 Faridkot sacrilege case, was killed in November 2022 by five unidentified bike-borne men in Punjab’s Kotkapura.

After murder of Pradeep, other accused had moved the top court seeking the transfer of the trial in the three sacrilege cases to a court out of Punjab, citing security threat.

The incidents related to the theft of a ‘bir’ (copy) of the Guru Granth Sahib, putting up handwritten sacrilegious posters, and torn pages of the holy book found scattered at Bargari (in Faridkot) in 2015.