PUDUCHERRY:A fire broke out in a two-room building housing a Sikh Gurdwara at Ariyankuppam on Sunday night.
Superintendent of Police (Rural) Deivasigamoni said nobody was present in the building at the time of the blaze. The furniture and some gunny bags were gutted and the building suffered some damage, he added.
The fire brigade was called in to douse the flames, which was first noticed by the local people, who then informed the police about it.
The SP (Rural) said a function was held on Sunday at the Gurdwara by the Sikhs and the fire had broken out after they had left the place. Ariyankuppam police registered a case and began investigations.
It may be recalled that two acres of land for building the Gurudwara had been allotted to ‘Sukhmani Committee’ on 22 October, 2010, and former Lieutenant Governor Virendra Kataria had laid its foundation stone for construction in 2013. Some unidentified persons had vandalised the foundation stone and police picket was posted at the spot for sometime.
It may also be recalled that the local residents were against the allotment of nearly two acres of land for the Gurudwara, which would be used as a place to worship by only a total of 90 Sikh community members in Puducherry.
The residents wanted the land to be used for building common facilities like market and sports and urged the administration to provide an alternative site for the place of worship However, as of now, the police have ruled out a possibility of vandalism because of the simmering land dispute. A case has been registered and probe from this angle is also on, the SP said.