Samana (Patiala), May 16
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday declared that Punjab’s new anti-beadbi law would ensure strict punishment for those involved in beadbi (sacrilege) cases, asserting that the long-used excuse of mental instability would no longer help offenders escape accountability. During a Samagam programme in Rakhra, Patiala, wherein former SAD Minister Surjit Singh Rakhra joined AAP, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said previous governments deliberately kept beadbi laws weak due to lack of political will, while also launching a blistering attack on the BJP, Congress and Akali Dal for “looting public money” whenever they came to power.
Addressing the public gathering, Mann stated that the AAP Government is committed to protecting the honour of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. “Repeated incidents of beadbi over the years had deeply hurt the sentiments of people across Punjab. Weak legal provisions under previous governments allowed accused persons to exploit loopholes and escape punishment by claiming mental illness or technical grounds. Excuse of being mentally unstable will no longer work; beadbi will invite strict punishment,” he said.
The Chief Minister stated that the new anti-beadbi law enacted by the AAP Government has been designed to ensure strict punishment and eliminate every loophole previously misused by offenders. He said even custodians, guardians or family members of mentally unstable accused persons would now face legal action in beadbi cases. “Those committing beadbi used to escape by taking advantage of weak laws, now even their custodians will face life imprisonment,” he added, while asserting that the law includes provisions for life imprisonment and heavy penalties to create a strong deterrent against such crimes.
Targeting previous regimes, Mann said opposition parties lacked the political will to enact strong anti-beadbi legislation because many among them had themselves protected those responsible for beadbi incidents. “Governments of opposition parties kept beadbi laws weak due to lack of political will,” he remarked, adding that the people of Punjab had repeatedly demanded justice but earlier governments deliberately weakened the legal framework.
