New Delhi: Preet Kaur Gill, the UK’s first female Sikh MP, has condemned the alleged sacrilege incidents at the Golden Temple and in Kapurthala district, as well as lynching of the alleged culprit.
“Beadbi incidents are unacceptable but the lynching of another person is also unacceptable and no one should take matters into their own hands. We need a full enquiry (sic) into these matters,” Gill tweeted Monday.
Beadbi incidents are unacceptable but the lynching of another person is also unacceptable and no one should take matters into their own hands. We need a full enquiry into these matters. @SGPCAmritsar @PMOIndia
— Preet Kaur Gill MP (@PreetKGillMP) December 20, 2021
Her statement came shortly after she courted a controversy over a purportedly deleted tweet in which she accused a “Hindu terrorist” of committing sacrilege.
An unidentified man was beaten to death at the Golden Temple in Amritsar Saturday evening after he allegedly attempted to desecrate the Guru Granth Sahib. Another person was killed Sunday morning by a mob at a village gurudwara in Kapurthala for suspected theft and attempted sacrilege.
Shortly after Saturday’s incident, Gill tweeted about the “awful scenes” at the temple and said no place of worship should be targeted.
No place of worship or community should be targeted in this way. Awful scenes from Harmandir Sahib. 🙏 https://t.co/jYHs9ctOmm
— Preet Kaur Gill MP (@PreetKGillMP) December 18, 2021
However, the comments on Gill’s latest tweet were flooded with questions on why she deleted her alleged “Hindu terrorist” tweet.
Where is your Hindu Terrorist waala tweet.. kithe gaya delete kr dita tussi.??
— Sandy (@sandy_2388) December 20, 2021
Why did you delete your tweet?
You realised that you were supporting mob lynching. Mob justice has no place in a civilized society.— Himmat Rathore (VT-DXT) (@himmat01) December 20, 2021
Tweeting "Hindu terrorist" is also unacceptable. Despite deleting the tweet, where is your apology to the Hindu community?
— Vocal Hindu (@vocalhindu) December 20, 2021
On Saturday, screenshots had emerged of a purportedly deleted tweet by Gill in which she allegedly replied to an unverified video of the Golden Temple incident by saying: “Hindu terrorist prevented from an act of violence at the Sikh Holy shrine of Harmandir Sahib, (Golden temple) against Sikhs.”
Sanjeev ji and @swati_gs ji can you help us with any info on the culprit & victim because of this inflammatory tweet, later deleted, by #LabourParty MP Preet Kaur Gill.
We @hindu_counciluk revere all Sikh Gurus but Khalistani MP’s are creating a wedge @HCI_London #GoldenTemple pic.twitter.com/R8Ixgg5KeX
— Anil Bhanot (@anilbhanot) December 19, 2021
According to Politwoops, an archive of tweets deleted by politicians, Gill deleted the tweet within seven minutes.
‘Hinduphobic’, ‘stirring religious bigotry’
Screenshots of the ‘deleted’ tweet have been circulating since Saturday, with some social media users accusing the British MP of being “Hinduphobic”.
Hi Hinduphobic @PreetKGillMP ☝🏾
No wonder @labour won't come back into power again with your anti India policies & what you said above.@Keir_Starmer do you agree with this pathetic tweet your MP posted then deleted?@BorisJohnson @Conservatives @skynews @jongaunt
— Kr1shna (@krishna_Ind1an) December 20, 2021
One user called Kaur a “blot” who should be sued and forced to resign, while another said she is “stirring religious bigotry”.
@PreetKGillMP , should be sued and forced to resign …
She is blot and doesn't deserve to hold public office.@BorisJohnson
— S S Singh.🇮🇳 (@Singh2639) December 19, 2021
Some users also called the politician a “Khalistani” who is “trying to flame the fires of separatism” in Punjab.
@UKParliament your MP Preet Kaur Gill is a Khalistani a potential terrorist and might as well be on the pay rolls of ISI trying to flame the fires of separatism in Indian Punjab. Hope strict action is taken.
— Maverick Maddock (@MaddockMaverick) December 19, 2021
Poonam Joshi, UK and EU correspondent for ABP News, also criticised Gill’s tweet by saying police authorities are yet to ascertain details about the man who committed sacrilege at the Golden Temple and what his motive was.
Hypocrite MP #PreetKaurGill, calling a lone act by a lunatic a "HINDU TERRORISM" who ended up being lynched, no1 knows yet who he ws or wht ws his motive..while She openly supports Khalistani groups that IS a known terrorist org! Do v really need MP's like her 2 represent us? pic.twitter.com/9ZtLE7rJpP
— Poonam Joshi (@PoonamJoshi_) December 19, 2021
Some users claimed the screenshot of Gill’s tweet is photoshopped as the dateline shows slashes.
ThePrint found that the format for dateline may appear differently depending on the device a person is using — iOS or Android. Also, it appears that she did delete the tweet because once a user clicks on the link, it prompts a message from the social media platform that reads: “Sorry, that Tweet has been deleted”.
(Edited by Neha Mahajan)
Also read: What is ‘beadbi’ or sacrilege in Sikhism, which sees Guru Granth Sahib as living Guru