The man in his early 20s was nabbed when he climbed the gold railing around the sanctum sanctorum where the Guru Granth Sahib is placed and picked up the Siri Sahib (sword) when the evening prayer was being recited.
A youth was beaten to death Saturday at the Golden Temple in Amritsar after being accused of attempted sacrilege.
The man in his 20s, who has not yet been identified, was caught by staff of the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee and devotees at the Darbar Sahib.
His body was later placed outside the main gate of the SGPC headquarters. DCP Parminder Singh Bhandal said: “The unidentified man was thrashed before he was brought to the SGPC headquarters. It is matter of investigation how he died.”
An SGPC official said the man in his early 20s was nabbed when he climbed the gold railing around the sanctum sanctorum where the Guru Granth Sahib is placed and picked up the Siri Sahib (sword) around 5.50 pm when the evening prayer was being recited.
The man was overpowered by the guards and other devotees. The incident was captured on camera as the Rehras Sahib (evening prayer) is telecast live across the globe by a private channel.
The SGPC did not immediately release CCTV footage. It was the second incident of attempted sacrilege in four days at the Golden Temple.
According to sources, the man was first questioned in a room inside the Golden Temple premises, and then taken on a wheel chair to the SGPC headquarters. All this while, he was being beaten. Meanwhile, police also reached the spot.
Sources said both police and SGPC officials questioned the man but he did not reveal any information about himself. He had no identity card on him.
SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami expressed anger over the incident.
A dharna was started by some Sikh activists and devotees, demanding custody of the person. The SGPC later brought the man’s body and placed it outside its headquarters.
It was the second sacrilege attempt at the Golden Temple within four days. A person threw a gutka (a book containing verses from the Gurbani) into the sarovar (holy tank) of the Golden Temple Wednesday.
SGPC sewadars apprehended the person and handed him over to police. He was identified as Ranbir Singh.
“This is not a stray incident, it is a conspiracy hatched to provoke the sentiments of the Sikhs and vitiate the atmosphere of Punjab,” SGPC president Dhami had said after the incident.