Violence in Punjab after ‘desecration’ of holy book, several injured

October 14, 2015

Faridkot, Oct 14: Members of several Sikh groups protesting against the alleged desecration of their holy book, Guru Granth Sahib, clashed with police in Faridkot district of Punjab on Wednesday, leaving at least 15 people injured.

violence

12 cops, including Bathinda inspector general of police Jitendra Jain, were among those injured.

Police used batons and water cannons and fired in the air to disperse members of the Sikh groups who gathered in Kotkapura of Faridkot district early on Wednesday to protest the act of sacrilege in Bargari village. Several policemen were among the injured.

The clash erupted in the main square of Kotkapura when police tried to arrest the leaders of the protestors. The protestors also tried to block highways leading to Moga and Bathinda towns.

The situation in Faridkot district is tense but under control, officials said. A strong police contingent has been deployed in the area to maintain law and order.

Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and his deputy Sukhbir Singh Badal appealed to the people to maintain calm. The chief minister said those found guilty would not be spared.

Kotkapura has been tense since more than 100 pages of the Guru Granth Sahib were found scattered in a street leading to a gurdwara in Bargari on Monday. The pages were allegedly torn from a ‘bir’ or copy of the Guru Granth Sahib that was stolen from Burj Jawahar Singh Wala village, located 5 km from Bargari, in June.

Tension flared on Tuesday when hundreds of Sikhs assembled for a dharna at the main square of Kotkapura, 12 km from Faridkot, after police rounded up more than 200 people at 2.30am. Sources said police rounded up the people to prevent radical Sikh leaders from organising an ‘akhand paath’ – reading of religious scriptures – at the spot with the torn pages from Bargari village.

Police took the torn pages, which were kept in a ‘palki’ or palanquin on a tractor trolley, to an undisclosed place. The protesters were reportedly taken to Muktsar, Moga, Ferozepur, Bathinda and Faridkot.

Prominent Sikh preachers Ranjit Singh Dhadrianwala and Panthpreet Singh Khalsa, former Takht Damdama Sahib jathedar Giani Kewal Singh, Damdami Taksal Ajnala head Amrik Singh Ajnala and radical Sikh leader Baljit Singh Daduwal participated in a dharna to protest against the alleged desecration.

Surjit Singh Arian Wala, executive district president of the Shiromani Akali Dal, told Hindustan Times, “We have been protesting in a peaceful way since June 1, when a bir was stolen from Burj Jawahar Singh Wala village. But no action was taken against the accused.”

Wala said a handwritten poster pasted near Burj Jawahar Singh Wala gurdwara on the night of September 25 contained “foul language” against the Guru Granth Sahib. “Now we are holding a peaceful protest here and it would be called off only when the police arrest the accused,” he said.

The Sant Samaj led by Damdami Taksal chief Harnam Singh Dhuma has called for a shutdown in Malwa on October 15 to protest against the alleged desecration.

Dhuma said the ‘bandh’ was called to pressure the government. “Those responsible for the sacrilege of the scripture should be arrested immediately,” he added.

The bandh will be observed in Faridkot, Moga, Fazilka, Ferozepur, Muktsar, Bathinda and Barnala. Health services have been kept out of its purview. Dhuma asked Sikhs in the Malwa belt to maintain peace during the bandh.

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December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

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December 2,2025

DKSsiddu.jpg

Bengaluru: 'Nati koli saaru' (country chicken curry) considered one of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s favourites along with steaming hot idlis was on the breakfast menu at Deputy CM D K Shivakumar’s residence on Tuesday, according to official sources.

The spread also included 'nati koli' fry, vada and pongal, among other items, they said.

In an apparent show of unity, Siddaramaiah visited Shivakumar’s residence for breakfast, just days after the two leaders shared a meal amid a simmering power tussle in the state Congress.

Siddaramaiah drove to the Deputy CM’s residence in Sadashivanagar, where he was received by Shivakumar and his brother D K Suresh, who is a former Congress MP.

Suresh and Kunigal MLA H D Ranganath, a relative of Shivakumar, joined them for breakfast, which featured a mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.

Speaking to reporters later, Siddaramaiah said Shivakumar had invited him during his visit to the CM’s residence for breakfast on Saturday.

Asked about the difference between the two meals, the chief minister said, "At his (Shivakumar’s) house it was non-veg, while at my house it was veg. He is a vegetarian, I am a non-vegetarian. I had not prepared non-veg. I told DK to get chicken from the village as you won’t get the original in Bengaluru."

Shivakumar said he had initially invited Siddaramaiah to his residence, but the CM had suggested visiting his place first and reciprocating later. "It was a vegetarian breakfast at the CM’s house on Saturday," he noted.

"Today, I invited him (the CM) to my house. He enjoyed the breakfast, which had his Mysuru taste," Shivakumar added. At this point, Siddaramaiah remarked that Shivakumar’s wife is also from Mysuru.

Saturday’s breakfast at Siddaramaiah’s official residence, held as part of efforts by the Congress high command to ease tensions in the leadership dispute between the two, reportedly included idlis and sambar, according to official sources.

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December 4,2025

Udupi: A 40-year-old NRI from Udupi has reportedly lost more than Rs 12.25 lakh in an online investment scam operated through Telegram.

According to a complaint filed at the CEN police station, Leo Jerome Mendonsa, who has been working in Dubai for the past 15 years in computer accessories sales, maintains NRI accounts in Karkala and Nitte.

On November 12, 2025, Mendonsa was added to a Telegram group called Instaflow Earnings by unknown individuals. Users identified as Priya and Dipannita persuaded him to invest in “Revenue Tasks.” Initially, Mendonsa transferred Rs 1,100 multiple times and received the promised returns, encouraging him to continue.

On November 14, another user, Nishmitha Shetty, directed him to register on a website, digitvisionuoce.cc, and invest Rs 4 lakh in various shares. Over the next few days, he made multiple transfers totaling Rs 12,25,000, including Rs 50,000 via Google Pay, believing the scheme was legitimate.

After receiving the money, the alleged handlers stopped responding, and neither the invested amount nor the promised profits were returned.

The CEN police have registered a case under Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the IT Act and Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and investigations are ongoing.

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