Punjab Police have reported that two brothers were arrested in connection with one of the seven cases of sacrilege of holy books in the state.
Two baptised Sikh brothers, Rupinder and Jaswinder Singh, were arrested Tuesday for their alleged involvement in the Faridkot sacrilege incident, according to The Times of India.
"Police took them into custody after intercepting their mobile calls between 14 to 16 October," senior police official Iqbal Preet Sahota said, according to Firstpost.
Over 100 torn pages of the Sikh religion's holy book Guru Granth Sahib were found in a Faridkot village on Oct. 12. The incident triggered violent protests across the state, leaving two Sikh protesters dead.
The government has deployed the paramilitary forces in the districts of Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Tarn Taran following the eruption of violent protests.
Harsimrat Kaur Badal, a minister in the Narendra Modi-led Indian government, indicated the involvement of external forces behind the Punjab unrest.
"I have appealed to people to maintain calm and peace. The social fabric of Punjab must not be harmed. The culprits have been caught. A clear foreign hand has been indicated. The government is taking all the necessary steps to ensure that the goodwill and the peace that people have for each other in Punjab...no external force will be allowed to disrupt it," Badal said, according to Daily News & Analysis.
Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal, who came under attack over his government's failure to control the situation, said that some forces were trying to destabilize his government by disturbing communal harmony.
"I am sure every one of you will thwart any attempt aimed at destabilizing peace and tranquillity in the state," said Badal, according to Mid Day.
