At Amritsar, devotee takes Granth Sahib seat, detained

At Amritsar, devotee takes Granth Sahib seat, detained
27 Apr 2009, 0437 hrs IST, Yudhvir Rana, TNN


AMRITSAR: A regular visitor to the Golden Temple, who had been coming to the shrine for the last five years and offering sewa, surprised the
religious gathering there early Sunday when he jumped the brass barricades and took the holy Guru Granth Sahib seat.

"It happened at the sanctum sanctorum around 3am, just when the daily traditional rituals had been completed," an eyewitness told TOI. As startled devotees tried to pull him away, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) task force pounced on him. The young man, wearing a turban, tried holding on to the barricades, but was dragged away.

The police, who detained the youth, have identified him as Rajiv Kumar (21), of Amritsar's Golbagh area. They later took him to a hospital for treatment to the injuries he had sustained on his head and other body parts. An unemployed youth, he is the son of a BSNL employee originally from Himachal Pradesh.

Jasbir Singh, a devotee, said, "He kept telling the task force men that he had a dream in which Guru Nanak Dev, the first Sikh Guru, asked him to take the Granth Sahib seat. Such an incident is unheard of in the 16th century Sikh holy shrine. The security should be stepped up."

"It's an unfortunate incident," SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar said. "The man appears to be mentally challenged. We'll tighten the security to prevent a repeat of this incident." He said SGPC will hold an inquiry into the incident and take action in case of any laxity on the part of the SGPC staff. Akal Takht jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh, who is abroad, too, said an inquiry would be held.

with thanks : source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Youth-defiles-Granth-Sahib/articleshow/4452900.cms

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