India, May 1 -- The Muktsar district police have registered the first case in Punjab under the Jaagat Jyot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act against unidentified persons after torn pages of a Sukhmani Sahib gutka (prayer book) were found scattered in a slum street of Malout town.

The first information report (FIR) has been registered against unidentified persons under the stringent anti-sacrilege law notified by the state government on April 20. The Punjab assembly enacted this legislation to provide a stronger legal deterrent against desecration, stipulating a quantum of punishment that includes life imprisonment and a penalty of up to Rs.25 lakh for acts of sacrilege against Guru Granth Sahib.

The FIR was registered at Malo...