PUNJABI UNIVERSITY VC, OFFICIALS BOOKED OVER MAHANKOSH

Patiala police on Friday lodged an FIR against Punjabi University Vice-Chancellor Dr. Jagdeep Singh and four senior officials in connection with the alleged sacrilegious disposal of erroneous editions of Gurshabad Ratnakar Mabankosh, the first Punjabi encyclopaedia compiled by Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha over a century ago.

- TARUNI GANDHI

Strong protests were seen on the campus after the discovery that hundreds of copies of the recalled volumes had been buried in pits, which student groups and Sikh organizations termed a violation of Sikh maryada.

The case has been registered under Section 298 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which pertains to the destruction, damage, or defiling of a sacred object and carries a punishment of up to two years in prison, a fine, or both.

Those named in the FIR include Registrar Davinder Singh, Dean of Academics Jaswinder Singh Brar, Head of the Publication Bureau HPS Kalra, and Director of Environment, Forests, and Wildlife, Himender Bharti.

COPIES BURIED ON CAMPUS The controversy erupted earlier this week when students alleged that the university had secretly buried large numbers of error-ridden volumes on campus.

Members of student bodies said the books contained shabads from the Guru Granth Sahib and verses from the Dasam Granth, making their disposal without proper religious ceremony an act of disrespect.