Police have arrested five men after a group allegedly hurled three stones at the langar hall of gurdwara Sri Manji Sahib in Alamgir following an altercation involving a man who had come to the shrine for langar.
On Thursday, police registered an FIR under Section 298 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and subsequently arrested them. The accused have been identified as Jiya Lal Sada, Raj Kumar, Bali Ram, Pardeep Kumar alias Kaku and Manish Kumar, all residents of Bihar who were living in shanties near the gurdwara.
They were later sent to judicial custody, Dehlon SHO Inspector Gurmeet Singh said. The five were detained by police on Sunday and initially faced preventive proceedings.
The man left the premises but returned shortly afterwards with some others. The group then allegedly picked up stones and hurled three of them towards the langar hall. The incident prompted those present to alert the police, who reached the spot and detained the five men. The incident subsequently triggered a controversy on social media, where claims of a much larger attack were circulated along with photographs and videos purportedly showing the langar hall littered with stones. Gurdwara manager Hardeep Singh also rejected attempts to link the incident with allegations that gurdwara staff had set fire to shanties occupied by migrant workers near the premises. The SGPC appealed to the public not to circulate unverified photographs, videos or digitally manipulated material related to the incident. Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargaj condemned the stone-pelting and sought strict action against those responsible.
The incident began when a sewadar stopped the man from entering the langar hall after he appeared to be intoxicated and was considered suspicious, according to police and gurdwara management. Gurdwara management, however, denied the claims and said only three stones had been thrown. He said the shanties were located on vacant private plots and not on gurdwara land. The occupants had been asked to vacate the plots and subsequently left, according to him. SGPC member Charan Singh said two or three stones were thrown at the langar hall and the police acted promptly after being informed. It also warned that fake or AI-generated content could create unnecessary tension and said legal action could be taken against those spreading misinformation. “Langar at gurdwaras is open to people from all communities, particularly the poor and needy, and attacks on a place of worship will not be tolerated.”
