Akal Takht Jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti reiterated his call for social boycott of Dera followers and asked Sikhs to continue their protest peacefully.
CHANDIGARH: Peace prevailed in Punjab and parallel congregations held by the Dera Sacha Sauda sect and Sikh organisations passed off peacefully as the deadline set by the five High Priests for the closure of all centres of the sect in the state expired on Sunday evening.
Akal Takht Jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti reiterated his call for social boycott of followers of the Sirsa-based sect and asked Sikhs to continue their protest peacefully as Dera stand-off persisted for the 14th day.
Amidst tight security, the parallel congregations at Sirsa in Haryana and at a Gurdwara in Sangrur in Punjab passed off peacefully with no reports of any untoward incident.
No violence was reported from any part of the state and the situation was peaceful and under control, Punjab's ADGP (Law and Order) Chandershekar said.
At Sangrur, top Sikh religious leaders attended a prayer meeting held in memory of Kanwaljit Singh, a youth, who was killed in the sectarian strife on May 17.
Besides Vedanti, Jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib Balwant Singh Nandgarh, SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar and SAD General Secretary Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa paid glowing tributes to the youth on his 'Bhog' (10th day ritual) ceremony at Gurdwara Nankiana Sahib.
Representatives of Damdami Taksal and All India Sikh Students Federation were also present.
In Sirsa, where the headquarters of the Dera Sacha Sauda is located, sect followers gathered in large number to listen to religious discourse of their chief Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.
Security forces were put on high alert in Punjab and a multi-layered security ring was thrown across the state to maintain peace.
Security was especially heightened at sect's main headquarters at Salabatpura, some 55 kms from Bhatinda,
The Haryana Police also kept a constant vigil at Sirsa and other sensitive places.
At Gurdwara Nankiana Sahib, tempers ran high as some Sikh youths entered into heated arguments with Keshgarh Sahib Jathedar Tarlochan Singh.
They said the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, should have chalked out a concrete programme of action against the Dera.
No political speeches were made at the 'Bhog' ceremony though SAD acting chief Sukhbir Singh Badal was present.
On the occasion, the SGPC chief announced Rs five lakh as financial relief and a job for Kanwaljit's family.
The SAD General Secretary also announced a similar grant for the bereaved family.
A number of individuals, including some NRIs, also pitched in with varying amounts of financial help for the family.
As Rapid Action Force and Haryana Police personnel stood guard, a large number of Dera followers from Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan participated in the congregation at Sirsa.
Dera chief Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh delivered a spiritual discourse and a lecture on meditation.
Everyone entering the venue of the congregation, which passed off peacefully, was frisked and made to pass through metal detectors.
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