Says there was only a 'minor incident'
Photo: Geeta Mohan / Twitter
The Foreign Office refuted on Friday claims of the Gurdwara Nankana Sahib’s desecration a few hours after protesters surrounded the gurdwara against a police raid on a Muslim man’s residence.
A young Sikh woman’s family had accused a Muslim resident of Nankana Sahib of forcibly converting her to Islam and then marrying her. They also filed an FIR against him.
The police conducted a raid on the man’s house, but he was not there. His family alleged that the police beat them up.
The Foreign Office, however, says that it was a scuffle that took place on a “minor incident between two Muslim groups”. The district administration immediately intervened and arrested the accused, said Aisha Farooqui, the Foreign Office spokesperson.
“Most importantly, the gurdwara remains untouched and undamaged,” she added. In a video that has been circulating on Twitter, hundreds of people can be seen pelting stones at the place of worship.
“All insinuations to the contrary, particularly the claims of acts of ‘desecration and destruction’ of the holy place, are not only false but also mischievous.”
Farooqui assured that the government remains committed to upholding law and order and providing security to people, especially minorities.