Sikh protester shot dead in Mulund

3 injured as bodyguards of Dera Sacha Sauda chief open fire on crowd

MUMBAI: Bodyguards of Baba Gurmit Singh Ram Rahim, chief of the Dera Sacha Sauda, opened fire on a group of Sikhs protesting his visit to the city on Friday killing one person and seriously injuring three others.

Sikhs in the Mulund area had rushed to a plush gym near the Nirmal Lifestyle shopping mall on Lal Bahadur Shastri (LBS) Marg where the controversial Baba, who has a running feud with traditionalist Sikhs, was camping. When his bodyguards could not beat back the protesters, they fired five rounds, killing Mulund resident Barkarar Singh.

As the news spread, local Sikhs got on to the streets blocking traffic on LBS Marg between Bhandup and Thane. “We demand the arrest of Guru Ram Rahim Singh and his men. They should not be allowed to escape from Mumbai,” said local BJP MLA Sardar Tara Singh.   

Kishore Tamore, a Mahim resident who was shopping in the vicinity, said he saw a group of about 50 local Sikhs charging towards Ram Rahim and shouting slogans against him.

Within minutes, the bodyguards fire bullets. “Immediately, Ram Rahim and his followers who had come in about 50 vehicles bearing registration numbers of Haryana sped away from the scene of crime,” said Sardar Rajnit Singh, an eyewitness.  

“We have deployed police teams at Navi Mumbai, Thane, Panvel, which are the exit points from Mumbai to nab the culprits,” said Ashok Kamte, additional commissioner of police (eastern region).