Sikh religion’s major holy shrine came under attack of an angry mob in Punjab on Friday. Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of the first guru of Sikhs Guru Nanak Dev, was attacked by stone pelters as they staged a protest against alleged police atrocities on Mohammed Hassan, the boy who is accused of forcing a Sikh girl to convert before marrying her.
The protesters dispersed after several hours in the evening following successful negotiations between them and government representatives, which led to the release of the arrested persons.
The mob, led by Hassan’s brother, gheraoed the holy shine, leaving several devotees stranded inside and pelted stones. The videos which have surfaced from the incident show him saying that if the authorities did not stop the brutality he will not let any Sikh live in the city.
He can also be seen threatening to destroy Nankana Sahib Gurdwara and build the mosque in that place. “We will ensure that there is not a single Sikh left in Nankana. And the name of this place will soon be changed from Nankana to Ghulaman-e-Mustafa,” said Hassan’s brother.
Vandalism, stone pelting & acts of descrecation at the holiest of holy Sri Nankana Sahib Gurudwara yesterday should be an eye opener for those who refuse to recognize religious persecution of minorities in Pakistan & the rationale behind CAA. pic.twitter.com/3dNqX33jbf
— Hardeep Singh Puri (मोदी का परिवार) (@HardeepSPuri) January 4, 2020
He alleged that Sikhs had been pressurizing his family to send the girl back to them, but she does not want to go back. “I have been beaten by police authorities many times on orders of the minority minister and others. These Sikhs have been pressurizing us to send the girl back to them. But that will never happen because she is a Muslim now. She does not want to leave my brother or Islam. We will stand by her side and protect her,” he said.
The protesters dispersed after several hours in the evening following successful negotiations between them and government representatives, which led to the release of the arrested persons.
Forced conversion?
On August 28, a First Information Report (FIR) was filed in the Nankana police station against six people who were accused of abducting and forcefully converting the 19-year-old woman.
The police subsequently traced the suspects to Lahore and detained one of them. Later, the woman had submitted a written statement in the court, stating that she had converted to Islam and married Ehsan of her own free will. She also accused her family of “wanting to kill me”.
The woman was subsequently shifted to a Darul Aman shelter on the court’s orders, after the Sikh community had demanded that the police bring her back to her parents’ house irrespective of the conversion being forced or consensual.
Read more: Baba Guru Nanak: The Enlightened Founder Of Sikhism
On Friday, Ehsan’s family alleged that police had raided their home and detained several family members, including Ehsan, ahead of the next court hearing scheduled for January 9. “Today, police personnel raided our home and arrested my brother and relatives after torturing them,” Ehsan’s sister told the media outside the Gurdwara, claiming that the police also tortured women and children present in the house.
We are concerned at the vandalism carried out at the revered Nankana Sahib Gurdwara (in Pakistan) today. Members of the minority Sikh community have been subjected to acts of violence in the holy city of Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Shri Guru Nanak Dev ji
Ehsan’s family also alleged that the police were trying to pressure them ahead of the court hearing.
For his part, the District Police Officer of Nankana Sahib, Ismail Kharak, said that the suspects were arrested on the basis of a complaint filed by a citizen regarding a dispute. He did not, however, comment on the family’s allegations regarding the police’s attempts to pressure them ahead of the hearing.
In the evening, successful talks were held between the protesters and the PTI Nankana Sahib president Pir Sarwar Shah. Police subsequently released all arrested persons, following which the protesters ended their protest and dispersed from the site.
Indian government’s condemnation
India’s Ministry of External Affairs has issued a statement condemning the vandalism of the holy Sikh shrine. “We are concerned at the vandalism carried out at the revered Nankana Sahib Gurdwara (in Pakistan) today. Members of the minority Sikh community have been subjected to acts of violence in the holy city of Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Shri Guru Nanak Dev ji,” the ministry statement said.
The statement added, “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 the safety, security, and welfare of the members of the Sikh community,”
Pak PM Intervene, Devotees Inside Gurdwara, Mob Outside: Amarinder Singh https://t.co/RXyrCfyNSi
— NDTV News feed (@ndtvfeed) January 3, 2020
The statement by the Centre came after Chief Minister of Punjab in India Capt Amarinder Singh and Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Singh Badal raised concern on social media and demanded immediate intervention by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pak PM Imran Khan.
Imran Khan’s efforts for religious harmony
In the wake of soaring tensions between Pakistan and india, and heightened religious intolerance under Modi’s government, Prime Minister Imran Khan took measures to induce religious harmony by welcoming Sikh’s from the other side of the border and across the world into Pakistan as the land holds historical and religious significance for said community.
The Prime Minister inaugurated the Kartarpur Corrdior in November as a gesture of goodwill.
The corridor – which is in Punjab, a region divided during the partition of British India in 1947 – opened just days before the 550th anniversary of the birth of Sikhism’s founder, Guru Nanak, on 12 November.
The year 2019 has been like none other, bringing peace to the country and promoting interfaith harmony. And Kartarpur Corridor initiative has paved the way towards acceptance and tolerance. #2019RevivalOfPakistan pic.twitter.com/2n1eSqqAa6
— PTI (@PTIofficial) December 31, 2019
The shrine was built to commemorate the site where Guru Nanak spent the last 18 years of his life. It is considered to be the second holiest site for Sikhism after Gurdwara Janam Asthan, also in Pakistan, which was built on the site where Guru Nanak was born.
It had been a longstanding wish of the Sikh community to open the corridor up, and it makes it much easier and cheaper to travel to the shrine from India.
Following the opening of the corridor, people from the global Sikh community came flooding into Pakistan for religious and tourist purposes. Sikhs visited Kartarpur, Royal Fort, and the Sikh Gallery. They took tours observing the preservation of Sikh heritage in the country and invested in marketplaces and the locals daily lives.
Read more: The gateway to peace: Kartarpur serves as more than just a symbol
The incident is yet to receive a response from Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has long advocated for the rights of Sikhs and religious freedom in South Asia.