A man was beaten to death by pilgrims at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on Saturday evening after he allegedly walked into the central enclosure of the sanctum sanctorum, where the holy book Guru Granth Sahib is placed, picked up a diamond-encrusted sword, and committed sacrilege.
Officials said that after the man’s act was broadcast on live television during the broadcast of evening prayers at the shrine, word spread quickly, and angry pilgrims grabbed him as he was being taken away by employees of the SGPC, the committee that manages gurdwara affairs, and beat him to death before police arrived.
The incident occurred months before the state’s assembly elections, during which the issues of sacrilege of Sikh scriptures has already taken centre stage in the campaign. In 2015, two people were killed after police opened fire on peaceful protesters in Bargari hamlet during a sacrilege protest.
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