A press release issued by Rane's office said the Chief Minister has taken serious note of the incident and has directed police officials here to ensure that the culprits are brought to book.

Rane's statement comes after his emissary -- Minister for Co-operation Diwakar Raote -- visited Ramdaspeth Gurudwara on Sunday night and held discussions with leaders of the Sikh community on the issue.

The Chief Minister has also thanked the Sikh Community for maintaining peace following the incident.

It may be recalled that the Shri Guru Granth Sahib was found stolen from the Ramdaspeth Gurudwara on Thursday afternoon. The incident evoked a sharp reaction from the Sikh community which staged a rasta-roko for two consecutive days to press demand for the immediate arrest of theculprits. Though the Nagpur police have formed a separate squad o probe the issue, no headway has been made so far.

Members of the Sindhi community observed a bandh at Khamla today at a call given by the Pujya Sindhi Panchayat, Khamla, to express solidarity with the Sikh community in condemning the incident.