His father Lakhwinder Singh said that Bakshish was mentally challenged and was undergoing treatment for it. He called on the police to register a case against those who killed his son.Police, meanwhile, filed an FIR against the youth for the alleged sacrilege. The FIR has no mention of the youth’s death. The FIR has been lodged based on a complaint by Lakhbir Singh, chairman, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Committee.

As per the complaint, “Bakshish entered the gurdwara at around 2 pm. At that time there was no one inside the room where Guru Granth Sahib is installed. He tore the pages of Guru Granth Sahib and came out with torn pages. Some persons sitting in the Langar Hall spotted him. He was chanting ‘Prabhu ehnan ton mainu bachao’ (God, save me from them). We later handed over him to police.”

Lakhvir said, “We had handed over him to police alive. We don’t know what happened to him later.”

According to police, Bakshish allegedly tore some pages of the Guru Granth Sahib and then tried to flee. He was caught by some people and as the news of the alleged incident spread, villagers assembled at the gurdwara and thrashed the youth. He later succumbed to injuries, police said.

Senior police officials, including Senior Superintendent of Police Saumya Mishra, reached the village after the incident.