Desecration of holy book: Sikhs go on rampage in Pilibhit

The Sikh community is up in arms against what they termed as 'desecration' of their holy book -- Guru Granth Sahib -- in Katia Patti town of Uttar Pradesh's Pilibhit district, about 350 km from Lucknow.

Large bands of Sikhs were out of the streets of Katia-Patti and its adjoining town Majhola on Thursday, resorting to arson and street violence to mark their protest against the failure of the police to track down the culprits who had torn a Guru Granth Sahib and sprayed its pages on the main thoroughfare of the town about four days ago.

While initial protests were contained in the wake of reassurances given by the local administration, trouble escalated again on Thursday after cops expressed their helplessness in identifying the guilty.

"We had entrusted the task of investigation to the Special Task Force on Wednesday and I am sure we will get the guilty to book, but people must give the STF some time," Special Director General of Police Brij Lal told rediff.com on Thursday.

He said, "Protestors had burnt down a state-owned bus, while two other buses were badly damaged in the violence."

Significantly, the town happens to be part of firebrand Bharatiya Janata Party MP Varun Gandhi's parliamentary constituency and right on the UP-Uttarakhand border.