Hurting Sikh sentiments case: Bhaniara gets 3 yrs in jail, released on bail
Monday, 13/05/2013
http://punjabnewsline.com/news/Hurting-Sikh-sentiments-case_-Bhaniara-gets-3-yrs-in-jail_-released-on-bail.html
AMBALA/CHANDIGARH: Ambala district courts Monday sentenced controversial Baba Piara Singh Bhaniara 3 years in jail, on charges of hurting religious sentiments of Sikhs and sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib. He has been released on bail.
Seven others had also been convicted under the same charges. All were ordered to be present in the court on May 13 when the court from pronounce the quantum of sentence.
There were a total of 13 accused in the case registered in October 2001 under sections 452, 329, 120-B, 153 and 295-A of IPC, out of which five were acquitted. All were accused of damaging and setting fire to Guru Granth Sahib.In 2001, Bhaniara wrote a book ‘Bhavsagar Granth’ describing his miracles which offended the Sikhs who alleged that the Baba was equating himself with Sikh gurus.
An organization Khalsa Action Committee headed by Charanjit Singh Channi disrupted a religious congregation at one of Bhaniara’s followers in Ludhiana in 2001. His book was snatched and damaged.As a result, his followers burned the copies of Guru Granth Sahib.Bhaniara was arrested in October 2001 and his book was banned by the government.
Dal Khalsa and several other Sikh organizations called for an agitation and reportedly demolished Baba’s centre.In 2003, a man named Gopal Singh attempted to stab Bhaniara, when he was in Ambala to appear in the court for his involvement in burning of Sikh scriptures.
Gurdeep Singh Rana, a member of Babbar Khalsa was arrested in an attempt to assassinate Bhaniara using a bomb in Janaury 2005.
