Protests broke out after a man allegedly hit two Sikh priests and desecrated the Guru Granth Sahib at a gurdwara in Punjab's Morinda town on Monday.
The Punjab police arrested Jasvir Singh after the incident and booked him for hurting religious sentiments and attempt to murder.
The incident drew condemnation from Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and other leaders cutting across political parties.
Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief Harjinder Singh Dhami also condemned the incident.
In a video which surfaced on social media, the man wearing shoes could be seen entering the sanctum sanctorum of Kotwali Sahib gurdwara after crossing the railing and then hitting two 'granthis' who were reciting from the Guru Granth Sahib, and then pushed the holy book.
Singh, who works as an electrician, was later overpowered by devotees present in the shrine and beaten up. He was then handed over to police.
The incident sparked outrage among locals who held a protest outside the Morinda Police station, seeking strict punishment for the accused. The angry protesters demanded that the accused be handed over to them.
Markets were also shut down in Morinda in protest against the incident.
Protesters also pelted stones at the house of the accused in the town.
Senior political leaders, including former chief minister Amarinder Singh, Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Badal expressed shock over the incident and sought exemplary punishment in the matter.
Mann, in a tweet, said the Morinda incident was highly condemnable and nobody will be spared for this.
Later, in a statement, he, while describing the incident as unfortunate, said exemplary punishment will be ensured to perpetrators of the heinous crime and urged people to exercise restraint.
He said the episode has bruised the psyche of every individual who has faith in Guru Granth Sahib.
The chief minister asserted that the Guru Granth Sahib is supreme for every individual and no one will be allowed to disturb the hard-earned peace in the state. He said he has also directed the director general of police to ensure that the probe into the matter is expedited and the guilty is brought to the book.
Senior police officials, including Inspector General of Police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, reached Morinda to take stock of the situation.
The police said the accused has been booked under IPC sections 295 A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and 307 (attempt to murder).
Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh dubbed it as an unfortunate incident and asked the state government to take strict action against the accused. He further said that until exemplary punishment is not ensured in the incident, sacrilege incidents will not stop.
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief Dhami said it is sad that the incidents of sacrilege are not stopping.
“If there is anger in the society against a person caught committing sacrilege, then he/she is often saved by referring to the law, while on the other hand, due to lax action by the police, the accused will come out after some time. This is a big question for governments which they cannot avoid," he said in a statement.
“This person (accused) should not be spared under any circumstances and the police administration should set an example by taking strict action,” he added.
Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal called the incident "traumatic, deeply disturbing and unforgivable”.
“The painful development smacks of a devious ploy by the badly cornered AAP (Aam Aadmi Party) govt to deflect attention from the 'arrest' yesterday of Amritpal Singh as well as from the state repression let loose against innocent Sikhs. It could also be an attempt to cover up the government's failure to maintain peace and communal harmony in Punjab,” he alleged in a statement.
Reacting to the incident, Amarinder Singh tweeted, "The beadbi incident at Gurdwara Sri Kotwali Sahib in Morinda is highly condemnable. I urge Punjab Police to immediately arrest the perpetrator of this heinous crime and award the strictest punishment possible."
Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa also urged the state government to give strict punishment to the accused.
