punjab

Updated: Oct 20, 2015 14:08 IST

With no let-up in protests over sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib in Punjab, 10 companies of the Border Security Force (BSF) have been deployed in four districts of Punjab.

Three companies each of the BSF have been deployed in districts of Amritsar, Ludhiana and Jalandhar, while one has been deployed in Tarn Taran.

Tension has been prevailing in the state since incidents of holy book sacrilege have come to light sparking protests across the state.

Meanwhile, in a fresh incident, pages of the holy book were found torn at Gurusar village in Bathinda district on Tuesday morning leading to tension in the area. As the incident came to light, villagers gathered to protest against the incident.

Heavy police force has been deployed to ensure that the situation doesn’t go out of control.

In Jalandhar, 10 people were rounded up by the police in connection with the clash between the shopkeepers and the Sikh protesters on Monday. The police also conducted flag march. Policemen also kept a close watch at various markets, including Mai Hera Gate and Rainik Bazar.

Traffic also remained suspended on the National Highway 1, only to be cleared by noon on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, protesters lifted blockade from various places in Tarn Taran, a day after two people were detained by the police.

On Monday, a ‘granthi’ of a gurdwara at Nijjapura village in Amritsar district was arrested for allegedly desecrating the holy book while a baptized woman was arrested in Ludhiana in connection with the Ghawaddi village desecration case.

Meanwhile, Sikh outfits continued to stage dharnas at several places in Punjab against incidents of sacrilege and to press for arrest of police officials involved in firing at Behbal Kalan village in which two persons were killed.