Barnala, Jan 23: The Barnala police on Friday announced the arrest of three individuals in connection with the desecration of Gutka Sahib at Thikriwala village. The investigation, which followed the discovery of torn “Angs” pages on January 19 and 21, revealed that the act was a result of a personal grievance involving a village cooperative society member. The suspects include two local residents and one individual from Sultanpur village in Sangrur district.
Barnala DSP Satvir Singh noted that the primary suspect, Kuldeep Singh, orchestrated the incident after feeling slighted by the local religious leadership. Kuldeep had recently joined the village cooperative society but was not formally recognized by the gurdwara management because he was absent during an honoring ceremony.
Singh mentioned that the suspect intended to defame the gurdwara president and committee by creating a disturbance during a significant local anniversary.
The timing of the incident coincided with the three-day martyrdom anniversary of Sewa Singh Thikriwala, a period when high-profile ministers and political leaders frequent the village. Police initially used video footage to identify Jagbir Singh, who has speech and hearing impairments, and Randeep Singh. The DSP said that the investigation eventually pointed toward Kuldeep Singh, who is the uncle of the disabled suspect and is believed to have directed the actions.
The police confirmed that the desecration did not take place within the gurdwara premises. Barnala SSP Mohd Sarfaraz Alam noted that the Gutka Sahib had been brought from an external location during a free distribution service. Authorities mentioned that the exact origin of the religious text is still being verified. Residents had previously held a three-hour protest on January 21 to push for a swift resolution to the case.
