Mob attacks gurdwara to protest arrest of people held for kidnap, forced conversion of a Sikh girl
A mob attacked Nankana Sahib Gurdwara, the birthplace of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev, in Nankana in Pakistan on Friday. According to reports, hundreds of angry Muslim residents at Nankana Sahib pelted stones and held a day-long sit-in outside the Gurdwara to protest the arrest of a few persons who are accused of abduction and forced conversion of a teenaged Sikh girl, police said as reported in a Pakistani daily.
According to Nankana police, the man named Hassan had married 18-year-old Jagjit Kaur in September last year after abducting her and forcefully converting her to Islam.
A police official said they had only summoned some of the family members of Hassan in connection with the FIR registered against them. The FIR earlier was reported to have been sealed after Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar claimed to have amicably resolved the matter.
The issue snowballed into a controversy after the girl’s family in a video message, that went viral, claimed that she was abducted and forcibly converted to Islam.
India’s External Affairs Ministry said members of the minority Sikh community in Pakistan have been subjected to acts of violence at the holy city of Nankana Sahib.
“India strongly condemns these wanton acts of destruction and desecration of the holy place. We call upon the Government of Pakistan to take immediate steps to ensure safety, security, and welfare of the members of the Sikh community,” the MEA said in a statement.
“Strong action must be taken against the miscreants who indulged in desecration of the holy Gurdwara and attacked members of the minority Sikh community,” the MEA said.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) expressed concern over reports of the mob attack on the Nankana Sahib Gurdwara.
In a tweet, Singh appealed to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to ensure that the devotees stranded at the gurdwara are rescued from the mob. SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take up the issue with his Pakistani counterpart.
Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) president Manjinder Singh Sirsa too condemned the attack. Sirsa alleged the mob led by Mohammad Hassan tried to break down the gurdwara gate. The DSGMC chief also claimed Hassan had addressed a gathering before the attack, saying they would not allow Sikhs to reside at Nankana Sahib even threatened to rename the holy city as Ghulam Ali Mustafa.
However, evacuee Trust Property Board spokesperson Amir Hashmi told PTI, “The family members of Hassan on Friday held a sit-in outside Gurdwara against the arrest of some of their relatives on the dispute over the Sikh girl.”
Replying to a question on reports in the Indian media about the country strongly condemning the vandalism at the revered gurdwara, Hashmi claimed, “The protesters remained peaceful. They ended the demonstration after police released a detained person.”
Meanwhile, a local correspondent of a Pakistani English daily told PTI that the Pakistani Sikhs, who were present at the gurdwara to celebrate the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh “got panicky” over the Muslim’s demonstration outside the shrine. They thought the protesters might attack it.
“The protesters also blocked the main road leading to the gurdwara, causing disruption of traffic for several hours,” he said.
However, a contingent of police reached the site and secured the gurdwara premises.