New Delhi: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has condemned the alleged sacrilege attempt at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, and termed it a “conspiracy”.
In a statement issued Sunday, RSS Sarkaryavah (General Secretary) Dattatreya Hosabale said the public should be wary of the “forces that make society fight among themselves”.
“The incident of sacrilege of Sri Guru Granth Sahib which took place at Golden Temple Amritsar on 18th December is unfortunate. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh strongly condemns this,” he said.
“Sri Guru Granth Sahib and Sri Guru tradition is a matter of common heritage and reverence for all of us and is the storehouse of knowledge of India. The forces that make society fight among themselves are conspiring and they keep doing it,” he further said.
Hosabale also said “such conspirators should be exposed and punished severely and society should not allow any hindrance in mutual harmony due to such incidents”.
A man was beaten to death at the Golden Temple in Amritsar Saturday evening after he allegedly attempted to desecrate the Guru Granth Sahib in the sanctum sanctorum. This is the second attempt of alleged desecration at the Golden Temple within a week.
On Wednesday, a man was apprehended by SGPC staff for allegedly throwing a gutka (a book of prayer of the Sikhs) into the Golden Temple’s sarovar (holy water body).
The incident at the Golden Temple comes ahead of the assembly elections in Punjab early next year, where the issue of sacrilege of Sikh scriptures — simmering since 2015 — has already taken centre stage in the poll campaigns of political parties.
(Edited by Neha Mahajan)
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