Punjab: Morinda sacrilege incident accused dies at Mansa civil hospital, police say

The accused in a recent sacrilege incident in Punjab's Morinda, who was lodged in a jail in Mansa district, died at the Mansa civil hospital on Monday after he complained of "discomfort", police said.

Jasvir Singh was accused of desecrating the Guru Granth Sahib and hitting two Sikh priests at a gurdwara in Morinda town in Rupnagar district.

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After his police remand ended, he was sent to judicial custody and lodged in the Mansa jail on April 29.

Mansa Senior Superintendent of Police Nanak Singh said the accused died at the civil hospital.

He was brought to the hospital in the afternoon after he complained of "discomfort", police said, adding that he died at around 9 pm.

The cause of death will be clear after the post-mortem examination, they said.

Protests broke out in Morinda on April 24, after Jasvir Singh allegedly hit the two priests and desecrated the Sikh holy book at the historic Kotwali Sahib gurdwara.