Sikh priests call for social boycott of Dera, parts of Punjab tense

CHANDIGARH: Parts of Punjab and Haryana continued to be tense for the fourth day on Thursday due to the stand-off between Sikhs and the Dera Sacha Sauda even as Sikh high priests called for a social boycott of the controversial religious group for allegedly insulting Guru Gobind Singh.

The five high priests, who met at Talwandi Sabo Gurdwara in Bhatinda, gave a 10-day ultimatum to the Punjab government to act against the Dera for its "anti-Sikh activities". After this period, Sikhs would be "forced to act against the Dera", they warned.

The Shiromani Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee (SGPC), the apex religious body of Sikhs, was authorised to act to check the activities of the Dera and its followers in Punjab.

Also read

Sikh priests call for social boycott of Dera

Dera expresses 'anguish' at boycott call

Centre tells Punjab, Haryana to keep forces on alert

Cong demands judicial probe in Punjab stand off

Govt assures 'appropriate' action

Ire against Dera spills over to other cities

A large number of Sikhs from across Punjab, brandishing swords, rods, sticks and firearms, gathered at the gurdwara ahead of the meeting. Some of them who were dissatisfied with the decisions made by the priests fired in the air.

The meeting was presided over by the Jathedar of the Akal Takht, Joginder Singh Vedanti, who told reporters that the high priests also demanded the registration of a case against followers of the Dera based at Sirsa in Haryana for allegedly attacking Sikhs at Bhatinda and other places.

Jathedar Vedanti escaped from getting hurt at Talwandi Sabo when one of the Sikh followers hurled a sword at him protesting the "mild punishment" given to the Dera head.

The sword missed the mark but Vedanti fell on the stairs and following him SGPC chief Makkar also fell down. Both had to be escorted out.

Sikh protestors also organised marches at several places, including Amritsar, Patiala, Karnal and Yamuna Nagar in the two states.

A partial bandh was observed in the Sikh holy city of Amritsar. The shutdown was complete in the walled city around the Golden Temple.

Dera head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh sparked a controversy by purportedly appearing in the attire of the 10th Sikh guru in an advertisement in some newspapers. Dera followers and Sikhs have clashed in Punjab and New Delhi over the past two days.

In the Civil Lines area outside Amritsar's walled city, a few shopkeepers observed the bandh as a precautionary measure.

Amritsar's police chief Kanwar Vijay Partap Singh said the situation in the city was fully under control and no untoward incidents had occurred anywhere.

A complete bandh was observed in neighbouring Tarn Taran district and situation there was described as tense. A large police force was deployed there from early in the morning.

The bandh in these places was called to protest against an attack on Sikhs in Bathinda by Dera followers.

A report from Sirsa said the Dera head had convened a meeting of senior functionaries to decide on the group's future course of action. Dera activists were awaiting the outcome of the meeting at Talwandi Sabo in Punjab, Dera sources.

Sant Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh had earlier denied having shown any disrespect to the Sikh Guru and said he had only worn a dress given to him by a follower.

No 'amrit' (nectar) was distributed among Dera followers as alleged by some people, Singh said, adding that only milk mixed with Rooh Afza was distributed as "roohmait ka jaam" and there was no question of apologising for this act.

SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar told reporters at Talwandi Sabo before the meeting that the community had left the issue to the Sikh high priests as it was a sensitive matter. He demanded tough action against the Dera head.

Security personnel staged a flag march in various sectors of Chandigarh to instill confidence among residents in view of the tension prevailing in the two states of which the Union Territory is the joint capital.

Punjab Police on Thursday arrested former MP Atinderpal Singh in Patiala as a preventive measure after he allegedly instigated people to resort to violence. Singh had won as an independent candidate from Patiala in 1989.

Bhatinda, which witnessed violence over the past three days, was quiet on Thursday as the scene of action shifted to Talwandi Sabo, about 45 km away. No untoward incident was reported from any place in the city, a report from Bhatinda said.

Police had to resort to a baton-charge on a group of Dera followers at Karnal in Haryana when they allegedly tried to march to a nearby gurdwara where 'kar seva' (voluntary labour) was on, Superintendent of Police Sibash Kabiraj said. A large number of Sikhs took out a protest demonstration against Baba Rahim Singh, raised slogans against him and burnt his effigy. They also pelted stones on the police who resorted to baton-charge to disperse them. Some policemen were injured as a result of stone throwing.

Sikhs organised a procession in Yamunanagar to condemn the act of the Dera head. The procession began at Paper Mills Gurdwara and the protestors brandished arms, including swords, sticks and axes.

Sikhs in Jagadhari also took out a procession.

Representatives of several Sikh groups, including SGPC member Baldev Singh Kayampur, submitted a memorandum demanding action against Dera followers to Yamunanagar district authorities.

There were protests against the Dera chief in Himachal Pradesh with thousands of Sikhs, brandishing swords, taking out a march in Paonta subdivision of Sirmaur district and burning an effigy of Rahim. Markets and schools in Paonta remained closed in view of the agitation.

Sikhs also staged demonstrations at Lal Chowk in Srinagar, Mirpora and Qazigund in Anantnag district and Nanak Nagar in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir, demanding stringent action against Rahim.

The protesters at Mirpora and Qazigund also set ablaze worn out tyres of vehicles briefly disrupting traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway.

Sikhs in Rajasthan also reacted strongly to the Dera head act and sought stern action against him.

The Dera was set up in the early 1950s by Shah Mastana, who reportedly hailed from Baluchistan. He was initially stated to be a follower of the Radha Swami Dera in Beas, but later split from it to form his own group.

The current Dera chief, Sant Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, took over in the early 1990s.