Bargari sacrilege main suspect killed by two inmates in Nabha prison

Prime suspect in the Bargari sacrilege case was killed allegedly by two inmates in a Nabha prison in Punjab Saturday evening, police said.

The incident occurred around 5.15 pm, when Mahinderpal Bittu was attacked by other inmates. Bittu was rushed to Nabha civil hospital near Patiala, but he was declared brought dead, they said.

Police said that preliminary investigations have revealed that Bittu (49), a resident of Faridkot, was allegedly attacked by Gursewak Singh and Maninder Singh, who were lodged in the Nabha prison in a murder case.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh ordered an inquiry into the attack on the prime suspect in the Bargari sacrilege case at the New Nabha prison, warning of stringent punishment for the assailants, an official statement said.

Bittu was accused in the case related to the desecration of Shri Guru Granth Sahib in Bargari, Faridkot in 2015.

Additional Director General of PrisonsRohit Chaudhary will head the fact-finding committee, which has been asked to submit the report within three days, the statement said.

"The inquiry will be in addition to the mandatory judicial inquest into the murder of the accused, Mahinderpal Bittu, who was arrested last year," it said.

The chief minster hasordered beefing up of security in the state in the wake of the attack on Bittu, a follower of Dera Sacha Sauda sect, while appealing to all communities to maintain peace and "not give in to rumours."