Priest pays ₹2 lakh, Sikh family converts to Christianity, throws religious texts in trash; anger erupts
Ferozpur (The Uttam Hindu): A Sikh family in Ichhewala village of Ferozepur district converted to Christianity after receiving ₹2 lakh from a priest, and they insulted religious texts by throwing them in the trash. The incident sparked outrage among the Sikh community. Members of the Sikh Student Federation filed a complaint with the police.
On Friday, the family, after converting to Christianity, desecrated Sri Gutka Sahib and other religious texts by putting them in a bag and throwing them on a pile of garbage. Sikh Student Federation members, who found the texts in the trash, were enraged. They also discovered a photograph of the family in the bag.
The family admitted that they had converted to Christianity after receiving ₹2 lakh from a priest. They explained that they had been struggling financially, which led to constant conflicts at home. The money was used as an incentive for their religious conversion. The family also revealed that they had followed the priest's instructions to dispose of all religious texts and images of deities by throwing them in the trash. This act further angered the Sikh community, and the members attempted to confront the family. However, the family's wife and daughters intervened to protect the head of the family. Meanwhile, the police arrived at the scene and took the head of the family into custody to maintain peace.
The FIR does not include the priest's name yet. DSP Sukhwinder Singh from Ferozepur city informed that a case has been filed against the family head, Dharaminder Singh, and he has been arrested. However, the priest's name has not been added to the FIR. Members of the Sikh Student Federation gathered outside the police station, demanding action. The police, considering the situation, moved the accused to another location and deployed additional forces around the family’s home to ensure their safety.
The head of the Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Committee, Lakhbir Singh Mahalam, issued a warning to the police, urging them not to close the case by just filing a charge against Dharaminder Singh. He demanded that the entire family be charged and that the priest, who incited the family to convert and disrespect religious texts, be named in the FIR as well.
