Hindustan Times
Malerkotla Quran sacrilege: One of 3 arrested men is VHP Punjab secretary, BJP MLA backs ‘framed’ cry
- Vishal Rambani, Patiala
- Updated: Jun 29, 2016 21:02 IST
A day after the police announced the
arrest of three men for the June 24
Quran sacrilege incident in Malerkotla that
had led to violence, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) said one of them
was the radical outfit’s Punjab unit secretary (organisation) and was
being framed.
Police had claimed that none of three was affiliated to any
organisation and that the trio had acted out of “hatred for Muslims and
Pakistan” with the intention to start a riot in Punjab’s only
Muslim-majority town. The town did see arson but no communal riot.
Also read I ‘Muslim-hater’ among 3 held for Quran sacrilege at Malerkotla
The affiliation of Nand Kishore ‘Goldy’ — whose son Gaurav too is
under arrest along with the alleged mastermind, Delhi businessman Vijay
Kumar — became known when the VHP’s state vice-president Devinder Kumar
and other functionaries held a press conference in Sangrur. “Police have
framed our leader Goldy, who is totally innocent. The cops picked him
up from his residence at Begowal village in Pathankot district, and
showed his arrest from Sanaur in Patiala. It’s a farce. We will not
tolerate it,” alleged Devinder. He said Goldy had never visited
Malerkotla and was present at his native place on June 24. He said even
BJP’s Bhoa MLA Seema Kumari knew it was a frame-up.
After the arson at Malerkotla on June 24.
(HT File Photo)
Kumari, when contacted, said, “Yes, I am aware that Nand Kishore
(Goldy) was picked up by the police on June 25. I had called the SSP
(senior superintendent of police), Pathankot, who said Nand Kishore’s
son Gaurav was needed in a case and they would let him go after
interrogation. Now I have come to know that they have shown his arrest
from Sanaur from Patiala, while he was picked from his residence and
even some villagers travelled with him up to Gurdaspur, where he was
kept in a lockup. It’s wrong. Nand Kishore is not such a person.”
Devinder said Goldy’s son was employed with the businessman Vijay
Kumar. “I don’t know about the background of Vijay, but he has misled
the police by naming Gaurav, who is also innocent. Gaurav was a mere
employee for Vijay. If he has indeed committed the act, Vijay kept
Gaurav in the dark,” he said, adding that he ahd taken up the matter
with the VHP’s central leadership.
However, Patiala range inspector general of police (IG) Paramraj
Singh Umranangal, who held the press conference where the three were
paraded, stood by the police version, and said the trio was indeed
nabbed from Patiala. “I am not aware of what the MLA and VHP are saying,
but the three men have confessed to the crime,” he claimed, adding that
the police had taken Vijay to Delhi to search his house. Police claim
the trio wanted to “avenge” the Pathankot and Dinanagar terror attacks
through riots here.
