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Dera followers' family refuse to cremate bodies

Tension began brewing on Saturday, when two masked men gunned down two Dera followers, Satpal Kumar, 65 and his son Ramesh, 35 while they were in the Dera canteen at Jagera village in Khanna in Ludhiana district.

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Dera Sacha Sauda followers protest against police in Khanna, Ludhiana on Monday
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Two days after some unidentified persons killed two followers of Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda in Khanna district in Punjab, the family has refused to cremate the bodies of the father-son duo demanding the arrest of the killers, even as followers of the Dera gathered in large numbers to protest against the police in Khanna, in Ludhiana.

Tension began brewing on Saturday, when two masked men gunned down two Dera followers, Satpal Kumar, 65 and his son Ramesh, 35 while they were in the Dera canteen at Jagera village in Khanna in Ludhiana district.

The accused who fled on a motorbike were captured in the CCTV footage brandishing the 0.32 revolver used in the crime, but have not been identified yet.

While the family has ruled out any personal rivalry, the police is probing if it could be a fallout of the prevailing conflict between the Sirsa-based Dera and Sikh hardliners. Dera head, Gurmeet Ram Rahim had invited ire of the Sikh groups in 2007 when he had dressed up as Sikh saint Guru Gobind Singh. The Akal Takht which is the highest temporal seat of Sikhs also issued an edict urging Sikhs to boycott the Dera.

Thousands of followers including women reached the Dera congregation centre in the village to pay tribute to the deceased. Refraining from targeting any political party, the followers said they would not cremate the bodies till the accused are arrested.

"The CCTV footage clearly shows how the accused flaunted the revolver after committing the crime and fired in the air. The police has not been able to make any headway yet. We will not cremate the bodies till the accused are arrested. The family of the deceased has sought sangat (congregation's) support and we will not bow down till justice is meted out to them," said Mahender Pal, member of Dera's Political wing.

Police remained deployed in the area, as district administration officials tried to pacify the protestors to conduct the last rites. However, the followers maintained that the protest will continue. Later in the afternoon, the followers blocked the Ludhiana-Malerkotla road and raised slogans against the police.

"If the administration and police don't not take any step, then we will decide how will we take the protest ahead. A number of followers from other districts in Punjab will also reach Khanna to support the protest," said Ramkaran, another member of the Dera's political wing.

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