Amritsar: In an incident that highlights the devastating impact of addiction on families, a man allegedly tore the angs (pages) of a Sri Sukhmani Sahib Gutka after his mother refused to interrupt her prayers to give him money, allegedly to buy drugs. The incident, reported from the Verka area of Amritsar, has triggered outrage. ACP (East) Ravinder Singh said Amarjeet Kaur, in a complaint lodged on June 30, alleged that on June 29, her son Hardeep Singh alias Sonu demanded money from her while she was reciting Sri Sukhmani Sahib. She did not respond as speaking would have interrupted the recitation. Enraged, her son allegedly tore the angs of the Sri Sukhmani Sahib Gutka, he said.Police have registered a case under Section 299 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings, and arrested the accused. The ACP said that the team of inspector Sumandeep Kaur swung into action and arrested the accused within 24 hours. He will be produced before a court, he added.According to police sources, Amarjeet Kaur works as a domestic helper, cleaning houses to earn her livelihood. They said her son has allegedly been addicted to drugs for a long time and frequently demand money from her to purchase narcotics.Sources said that when Kaur continued reciting Sri Sukhmani Sahib instead of responding to his demand, the accused allegedly lost his temper, snatched the Gutka Sahib from her hands, tore several angs and threw them away before fleeing the spot. Police officials said the matter is being investigated from all angles, describing it as an extremely sensitive case involving religious sentiments.
