The accused was identified as Mandeep Singh, a resident of Shaheed Udham Singh Nagar in Amritsar. Police said the woman, who lives in the same locality, had gone with her family to pay obeisance at Akal Takht Sahib when the alleged desecration took place.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Surinder Singh said a complaint was lodged at Kotwali police station by Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee employee Simranjit Singh, who was posted in the parikrama area of the shrine complex. Police and SGPC staff then examined CCTV footage and identified Mandeep Singh before tracing him to his residence and taking him into custody.
The woman had been seated inside Akal Takht Sahib with members of her family, with Mandeep Singh sitting behind her, according to accounts of the incident. After prayers, her husband noticed a torn “ang”, or sacred page, tied to the rear flap of her suit or dupatta. The family immediately alerted sewadars, who escorted them to the CCTV control room.
The footage was reviewed and the woman identified the suspect as a neighbour. Police were then informed and officers detained him. Investigators are examining how the sacred page was torn, where the Gutka Sahib came from and whether the act was planned.
Surinder Singh said legal proceedings had been initiated and the accused was being questioned to establish the sequence of events and his motive. Police had not publicly stated by Thursday evening that any other person was involved.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, which manages the Golden Temple complex, condemned the alleged desecration. Its chief secretary, Kulwant Singh Mannan, said acts involving damage to Gurbani hurt Sikh religious sentiments and described such an incident inside the Guru’s house as a matter of grave concern.
Mannan said the SGPC had handed the accused to police and urged the administration to conduct a serious investigation and take action under the law. He also called on investigators to determine whether anyone else had planned, encouraged or facilitated the alleged act.
Mannan said Gurbani provides spiritual guidance and meaning to human life and argued that alleged acts of desecration caused hurt among the Sikh sangat. He urged police not to restrict the inquiry to the individual in custody if evidence pointed to wider involvement. The SGPC official said previous sacrilege cases had raised concerns because those accused were sometimes caught while questions about possible instigators remained unanswered. Police, however, have announced no evidence so far of a broader conspiracy in Thursday’s case.
Officials said the torn material was from a Gutka Sahib, a prayer book containing selected Sikh prayers and hymns. Within Sikh religious practice, pages carrying Gurbani are treated with reverence, and the term “ang”, meaning limb, is commonly used for pages of sacred scripture rather than the ordinary word for a page.
The alleged act occurred in a closely monitored section of the Golden Temple complex, where CCTV cameras cover key areas and SGPC personnel supervise the movement of devotees. That surveillance became central to identifying the suspect after the family reported what they had found.
Authorities have not released details of any forensic examination of the torn page or the prayer book from which it may have been removed. They also have not disclosed whether the accused made any statement explaining his conduct.
The case is being handled by Kotwali police in Amritsar. Officers were continuing to question Mandeep Singh and review available footage to reconstruct his movements inside the complex before and after the alleged incident.
Police have so far confined their public account to the complaint, CCTV identification, arrest and continuing inquiry. The allegation remains under investigation, and responsibility for any criminal offence will be determined through the legal process.
