Dera followers took out a protest march in the wake of the Punjab Government's nod for the prosecution of its chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.
CHANDIGARH: Tension mounted on Thursday in Sirsa town of Haryana, the Dera Sacha Sauda hub, with sect followers taking out a protest march in the wake of the Punjab Government's nod for the prosecution of its chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.
While some followers took out a march near the Dera premises, the sect management action committee held a meeting in Sirsa to decide their strategy in the backdrop of developments pertaining to the Dera row.
"The situation in Sirsa is tense but adequate force has been deployed," official sources said.
"We are all geared up in the wake of the new developments. Adequate force has been deployed around the Dera and other sensitive points in the town," Sirsa Deputy Commissioner V Umashankar said.
He said the administration was monitoring the situation closely.
Asked if the Dera chief, accused of hurting the religious sentiments of Sikhs, had been provided the 'Z' plus security, he said, "he is yet to get that cover and is being guarded by state police".
Earlier on Thursday, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said that law and order in the state would be maintained at all cost.
The Punjab government, acting on a court directive, had given the formal go-ahead on Wednesday for the arrest and prosecution of the Dera Chief, who had invited the ire of the Sikh community for allegedly attiring like Guru Gobind Singh.
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal gave his Government's firm commitment to maintain law and order in the wake of the last night's developments.
The Dera row also rocked the state Assembly in the day with the main Opposition Congress led by former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal forcing two adjournments of the House on the issue of law and order in the wake of Dera-Akal Takhat row.
"Yesterday's developments (granting of sanction by state Government to arrest Dera chief) is a serious issue and further aggravates fear psychosis among the people of the state," Bhattal told the House while seeking debate on an adjournment motion by the party which was rejected by speaker Nirmal Singh Kahlon.
The Sant Samaj, an umbrella organisation of various Sikh religious groups, General Secretary Baba Hari Singh Randhawa told PTI that "they will continue their protest in a peaceful manner till the Dera chief is arrested."
Meanwhile, the legal luminaries in the state were of the opinion that prior sanction of the Government was not necessary to arrest the Dera chief when a non-bailabale warrant was issued against him.
"The warrant itself is an authority and the Inquiry Officer has the power to arrest a person when a non-bailable warrant is issued against him," they said.
Punjab Advocate General H S Mattewal said that since the Dera chief was not cooperating in the investigations, the Government acted as per the directive of the Bathinda Court.
Security in Punjab and Sirsa in Haryana have been beefed up in the wake of the fresh developments, officials said.
Meanwhile, Haryana's Director General of Police, Ranjiv Dalal told reporters in Panchkula that senior police officials would be sent to Sirsa to deal with the "ground realities".
"Some tension is in the air after the new developments in the Dera row. We are keeping a close eye on the situation and have drawn up strategy to deal with any eventuality," he said after chairing a high-level meeting of police officials.
Dalal also said that Haryana Police was fully geared up to deal with the situation in view of the Akal Takhat's directive to Sikhs to reach Sirsa's neighbouring town Ratia for a meeting on July 11.
Meanwhile, the Dera Chief, who was supposed to tour Meerut in UP on Thursday to attend a religious discourse, had cancelled his programme in view of the recent developments.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}