A woman was shot dead for allegedly consuming liquor on the premises of a gurdwara in Punjab's Patiala, police said on Monday.
The accused, who has been arrested, said he committed the act in a fit of anger as his religious sentiments were hurt, police said.
Parwinder Kaur, in her late 30s, was allegedly consuming liquor near the 'sarovar' (holy pond) of Dukh Niwaran Sahib gurdwara on Sunday.
Nirmaljit Singh Saini, a regular visitor to the gurdwara shot at Kaur multiple times using his licenced revolver, Patiala Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Varun Sharma said.
Saini, a property dealer with no previous criminal records, told gurdwara officials that he was upset over the incidents of sacrilege, including the recent one at Morinda gurdwara, police said.
"Parwinder Kaur was having liquor near the 'sarovar' of gurdwara Dukhniwaran Sahib. When the sangat noticed this, they decided to take her to the manager's office," Sharma said.
As Kaur, who had alcohol addiction, emerged from the gurdwara manager's room accompanied by police personnel, she was fired at by Saini, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) officials said.
They said the man surrendered before police voluntarily and handed over his weapon to them.
"Saini fired five rounds at the woman with his 32-bore licenced revolver," police said in an official statement.
The SSP said three bullets hit Kaur and she died on the spot.
Police said a man also received bullet injury in the incident. He has been hospitalised and is stated to be in a stable condition.
Meanwhile, preliminary investigation by the police revealed that Kaur was undergoing treatment for alcohol addiction.
Sharma said a prescription slip of a de-addiction centre in Patiala was recovered from her belongings. She had mood swings and depression, doctors had said in the prescription.
No family member has come to claim her body yet or to give any statement, the SSP said, adding that they have not been able to identify where she stayed.
Preliminary investigations revealed that Kaur boarded a bus from Zirakpur on Sunday and reached the gurdwara.
Satinder Singh, manager of the gurdwara, said Kaur was in a drunken state and had a liquor bottle and tobacco packets with her. She sat near the 'sarovar' and consumed liquor, he said.
SGPC officials said when a few devotees noticed the "violation of maryada (code of conduct)", gurdwara officials were alerted and they brought the woman to the manager's office.
The woman allegedly attacked the 'sewadars' of the gurdwara with the liquor bottle, resulting in a minor injury to one of them, SGPC officials alleged.
"She did not give a proper statement. She said she belonged to Mohali but later sad she was from Panchkula. We informed police and they arrived at the spot to take her away. Just as she stepped out of the manager's office, she was shot," the gurdwara manager said.
