Hardeep Puri demands 'exemplary punishment' for Nihangs who chopped off policeman's hand

Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri demanded an exemplary punishment for the members of a Sikh sect who chopped off a policeman's hand with a sword and injured two others on being asked to show curfew passes in Patiala on Sunday.

Condemning the inhuman attack, the Union housing and urban affairs minister said such criminals and anarchists should be brought to justice at the earliest.

The Nihangs severed a hand of an assistant sub-inspector and injured two of the policeman's colleagues after their vehicle was stopped outside a vegetable market and they were asked for curfew passes.

"The inhuman attack on policemen in Patiala needs to be condemned in the strongest of terms. Such criminals & anarchists should be brought to justice at the earliest. They deserve exemplary punishment. I pray for speedy recovery of the injured policemen," Puri tweeted.

Hours after the incident, police arrested seven men, including five of the attackers, from a gurdwara in Balbera village in Patiala district.

Punjab Director General of Police Dinkar Gupta described the incident as unfortunate.

"In an unfortunate incident today morning, a group of Nihangs injured a few police officers and a mandi board official at sabzi mandi, Patiala. ASI Harjeet Singh whose hand got cut-off has reached PGI Chandigarh," Gupta tweeted.