Gurdaspur: Former Punjab minister and Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sucha Singh Langah, who is in police custody in connection with a rape case, was today charged with hurting religious sentiments, police said.  

A delegation of the Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Committee led by a Shiromani Gurudwara Parbhandhak Committee member filed a complaint with the police, alleging that a purported video of the Akali leader with a woman in embarrassing position was against the Sikh conduct, Senior Superintendent of Police Harcharan Singh Bhullar said.  

Bhullar said an investigation found Langah involved in hurting religious sentiments. Section 295-A of the IPC was added to the FIR registered against him in the rape case, he said. The IPC section deals with deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings.  

The police booked Langah on September 28 on a complaint by the widow of a vigilance official that the Akali leader raped her repeatedly since 2009. He was booked for rape, extortion, cheating and criminal intimidation. The victim had also submitted a video clip to the police to support her accusations.  

On Wednesday, a Gurdaspur court sent Langah to five-day police custody after he surrendered before it. Yesterday, the Akal Takhat - the top temporal seat of the Sikhs - ex-communicated Langah, a baptised Sikh, from the Sikh community after his arrest in the rape case. PTI