Sacrilege: Unhappy Donor Vandalized Temple; Nakodar Killing Remembered

On 27 Feb, the priest at a Shiv Temple in Sahnewal near Ludhiana found fourteen idols defaced and vandalized. Hindu organizations threatened that if the accused were not arrested within four days, they would stage protests and hand over the damaged idols to the commissioner of police and deputy commissioner to mark their protest. Shiv Sena Punjab chairman Rajiv Tandon said as the Mahashivratri festival is around the corner, anti-social elements have vandalized the idols deliberately to hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus and to instigate them to disturb the law and order situation in the city. On 2 Mar the police arrested Sonu Kumar (24), a resident of Pava village who hails from Bihar for having vandalized the idols. The reason was his disgruntlement over a donation he had made to the temple. Since the accused was from within the Hindu community, the matter has been laid to rest. Meanwhile, various Sikh organizations, including Sikh Sadbhavna Dal, Khalra Mission Organization, and Alliance of Sikh Organisation took out a march in Nakodar seeking justice for the killings of four youths at Nakodar on 4 Feb 1986. The protesters demanded justice for the families over extra-judicial killings now denied for 38 years. Similar to the 2015 sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib at Bargari and the killing of two young men, on 2 Feb 1986, at Nakodar, a group of Sikhs were protesting when on 4 Feb the police allegedly fired 300 rounds on them. In the last four decades, three political parties have formed government in Panjab, but justice over the Nakodar killings eludes the people and families.