The Sikh community in the Union City of California staged a protest on Friday after an unidentified man desecrated the holy Guru Granth Sahib in broad daylight.
The incident happened on Thursday where an unidentified man tore Guru Granth Sahib and threw away its pages in front of some Sikh people who were sitting in Union City Park in California on Thursday, reported The Times of India.
Community leaders in the US and India condemned the act terming it as an attempt to disrupt the communal harmony and urged the authorities to take strict action against the perpetrators.
“This is a popular place where people often meet and this person came, showed Gutka to everyone, and tore it up in front of them,” American Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee coordinator Pritpal Singh told The Times of India.
Initially, the people didn’t have any idea about what the man was doing. When they realized that it was Guru Granth Sahib, they objected and tried to catch the man. But he managed to escape from the spot. The incident is the first of its kind in the US.
“Unlike other holy books, we consider Guru Granth Sahib to be a live embodiment of our Gurus. It is important to make the US authorities understand this fact. We will take up the matter with the American Sikh Congressional caucus tomorrow,†was quoted as saying by The Tribune India.
City mayor Carol Dutra and senior police officials visited the place and assured strict punishment to the person behind the crime.
Some community leaders think that the act was an attempt to disturb the harmony in the area. Satnam Singh Chahal, executive director, North American Punjabi Association, told The Tribune India, “Union City has a large Sikh population. It seems the accused intentionally chose the park where members of the Sikh community came for a walk daily.â€
Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) has decided to take up the issue with the US government through the government of India and urged the US authorities to provide security to the Sikh community living there.
Punjab Education Minister Daljit Singh Cheema said the act was a provocation and urged the community in the US and Canada to maintain peace and harmony.
Indian Minister for Food Processing Harsimrat Kaur Badal said that she would discuss the matter with the Union Government. “I hope and I’m going to meet Sushma ji (External Affairs Minister) and appeal to her that India must demand the strongest and most urgent actions so that the perpetrators in California are brought to the book immediately,” she was quoted as saying by Asian News International.
The police have registered a case and an investigation has been initiated. The police have checked the CCTV footage from the locality to identify the man.