In a space of 24 hours, Punjab was shaken by two attempted and alleged cases of sacrilege, followed by lynchings, on 18 and 19 December in Amritsar and Kapurthala districts respectively.

In the case in Amritsar, there is CCTV footage showing a man jumping the railing of sanctum sanctorum at the Golden Temple and grabbing the Siri Sahib, the sacred sword and was then a split second later, tackled by the Sevadars and was seen being dragged out.

And with these cases, sacrilege has returned to the center stage in Punjab politics, with condemnations pouring from politicians across the spectrum. From the Congress and BJP, to the SAD and AAP, all described the “heinous act to attempt sacrilege” and that it can be part of a larger conspiracy. The Punjab government has also constituted a special investigation team to investigate these two cases.


However, while the acts of sacrilege are a terrible and a serious crime, none of these politicians from any party condemned the lynchings which followed these sacrilege attempts at the hands of the public.

With assembly elections around the corner, what gives the politicians uproar over sacrilege but not on what followed it?

In today’s episode, we will look at the political reactions to these cases, the track records of the SIT probes and how this will impact the upcoming polls.

Guests:Aditya Menon, The Quint’s Political Editor

Aarish Chabbra, a senior journalist and professor at the Bennet University.
Host and Producer: Himmat ShaligramEditor: Shorbori Purkayastha

Music: Big Bang Fuzz
Listen to The Big Story podcast on:
Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIlSaavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78CGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7SSpotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQDeezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5NgCastbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

<div>In a space of 24 hours, Punjab was shaken by two attempted and alleged cases of sacrilege, followed by lynchings, on 18 and 19 December in Amritsar and Kapurthala districts respectively.<br>
<br>

</div>
<div>In the case in Amritsar, there is CCTV footage showing a man jumping the railing of sanctum sanctorum at the Golden Temple and grabbing the Siri Sahib, the sacred sword and was then a split second later, tackled by the Sevadars and was seen being dragged out.<br>
<br>

</div>
<div>And with these cases, sacrilege has returned to the center stage in Punjab politics, with condemnations pouring from politicians across the spectrum. From the Congress and BJP, to the SAD and AAP, all described the “heinous act to attempt sacrilege” and that it can be part of a larger conspiracy. The Punjab government has also constituted a special investigation team to investigate these two cases.<br>
<br>
However, while the acts of sacrilege are a terrible and a serious crime, none of these politicians from any party condemned the lynchings which followed these sacrilege attempts at the hands of the public.<br>
<br>

</div>
<div>With assembly elections around the corner, what gives the politicians uproar over sacrilege but not on what followed it?<br>
<br>

</div>
<div>In today’s episode, we will look at the political reactions to these cases, the track records of the SIT probes and how this will impact the upcoming polls.<br>
<br>
<strong>Guests:</strong>
</div>
<div>Aditya Menon, The Quint’s Political Editor<br>
Aarish Chabbra, a senior journalist and professor at the Bennet University.</div>
<div>
<br>
<strong>Host and Producer: </strong>Himmat Shaligram</div>
<div>
<strong>Editor:</strong> Shorbori Purkayastha</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>
<strong>Music:</strong> Big Bang Fuzz</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><strong>Listen to The Big Story podcast on:</strong></div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Apple: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/redirect?q=https%3A%2F%2Fapple.co%2F2AYdLIl&amp;redir_token=G9sQMbbppKv-LEFD29gDyTmPMzt8MTU3MTM4MDU5NkAxNTcxMjk0MTk2&amp;v=xkpX1V6aUFo&amp;event=video_description">https://apple.co/2AYdLIl</a>
</div>
<div>Saavn: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/redirect?q=http%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F2oix78C&amp;redir_token=G9sQMbbppKv-LEFD29gDyTmPMzt8MTU3MTM4MDU5NkAxNTcxMjk0MTk2&amp;v=xkpX1V6aUFo&amp;event=video_description">http://bit.ly/2oix78C</a>
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<div>Google Podcasts: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/redirect?q=http%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F2ntMV7S&amp;redir_token=G9sQMbbppKv-LEFD29gDyTmPMzt8MTU3MTM4MDU5NkAxNTcxMjk0MTk2&amp;v=xkpX1V6aUFo&amp;event=video_description">http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S</a>
</div>
<div>Spotify: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/redirect?q=https%3A%2F%2Fspoti.fi%2F2IyLAUQ&amp;redir_token=G9sQMbbppKv-LEFD29gDyTmPMzt8MTU3MTM4MDU5NkAxNTcxMjk0MTk2&amp;v=xkpX1V6aUFo&amp;event=video_description">https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ</a>
</div>
<div>Deezer: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/redirect?q=http%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F2Vrf5Ng&amp;redir_token=G9sQMbbppKv-LEFD29gDyTmPMzt8MTU3MTM4MDU5NkAxNTcxMjk0MTk2&amp;v=xkpX1V6aUFo&amp;event=video_description">http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng</a>
</div>
<div>Castbox: <a href="http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur">http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur</a>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>

The Big Story is back with a second season!

The news culture of our times is noisy, crowded, and honestly so confusing. This is why we are coming every fortnight on your podcast platforms to help you make sense of the new and now. 

With two new hosts, Anjali and Prateek, the second season of The Big Story will feature longer and well-rounded discussions with experts across science, culture, technology, politics, and more. Tune in on your preferred podcast platform!   



Millions of listeners seek out Bingepods (Ideabrew Studios Network content) every day. Get in touch with us to advertise, join the network or click listen to  enjoy content by some of India's top audio creators.
studio@ideabrews.com

Android | Apple

<p>The Big Story is back with a second season!</p>
<p>The news culture of our times is noisy, crowded, and honestly so confusing. This is why we are coming every fortnight on your podcast platforms to help you make sense of the new and now. <br aria-hidden="true"><br aria-hidden="true">With two new hosts, Anjali and Prateek, the second season of The Big Story will feature longer and well-rounded discussions with experts across science, culture, technology, politics, and more. Tune in on your preferred podcast platform!   </p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Millions of listeners seek out <a href="https://bingepods.com/">Bingepods</a> (Ideabrew Studios Network content) every day. Get in touch with us to advertise, join the network or click listen to  enjoy content by some of India's top audio creators.</em><br><em><a href="mailto:studio@ideabrews.com">studio@ideabrews.com</a></em></p>
<p><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bingepods.app">Android</a> | <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bingepods/id1637568609">Apple</a></p>

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