Tight security for India Sikh polls

Police in the northern Indian state of Punjab have thrown a security cordon around the holiest Sikh shrine, the Golden Temple in the city of Amritsar.

The move comes ahead of elections on Tuesday to the faith's highest religious body, the SGPC ( the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee) which wields sweeping powers and influence across the Sikh diaspora.

The polls are a showdown between two leading Sikh politicians, former chief minister Prakash Singh Badal and Gurcharan Singh Tohra.

Dozens of supporters of both leaders were detained on Sunday to prevent clashes.

The chief minister of Punjab, Amarinder Singh, denied media reports that police implementing security had entered one of the major shrines within the Golden Temple complex (the Darbar Sahib).

He said foolproof arrangements had been made to ensure a peaceful poll.

(From the newsroom of BBC World Service)