Both sides of the violent dispute

Q&A: Both sides of the violent dispute in Punjab give their views on why it all happened

Avtar Singh Makkar, president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, which is a mini-parliament of the Sikhs, speaks to Ajay Bharadwaj.

Why are the Sikhs in Punjab up in arms against the Dera Sacha Sauda ?

Simply because the Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has offended the religious sentiments of the Sikhs by appearing in public wearing robes akin to the ones that Guru Gobind Singh-ji used to wear. By donning the dress of the guru, the Dera chief is trying to present a fallacious image of Guru sahib which surely is a serious affront. Not only that, a newspaper advertisement shows him trying to emulate the Guru sahib by preparing amrit (nectar) the same way. Moreover, if the Guru sahib initially administered the amrit to five Sikhs (panj piarey), the Dera chief was seeking to depict it in a different way by serving it to seven premees. How can the Sikhs accept such blasphemous behaviour?

But the Dera chief says he has done nothing wrong by wearing a particular dress. He says he has been doing this for years and nobody ever took exception to it.

He might have been doing it for years, but when he started projecting it in newspapers like this, the Sikhs could not but help react to it. His conduct has come into sharp focus now. Just because he was doing it in the past does not mean he has not affronted the Sikhs.

Do you think Sikh resentment can blow out of proportion and cause serious law and order problems?

If no corrective measures are taken immediately, Sikh sentiments would surely remain on the boil. How do you expect them to reconcile to the disgrace meted out to the Guru sahib? Moreover, maintaining law and order is the task of the state government. So far the Sikhs have surely behaved with restraint. One of the Sikh youths was shot dead by the Dera followers in Sunam, yet there have been no reactions to it from the Sikhs.

Do you think the government has been lax so far in dealing with the crisis?

No, the government has responded with grace and confidence. But for a few incidents of violence, which are natural in such an emotional upsurge, the situation has remained under control. The tempers can subside only if the Dera chief expresses regret over his conduct and promises not to hurt the sentiments of the Sikhs in future.

Do you think the events of 1978, which led to more than 10 years of militant violence in Punjab, are being replayed?

No. I don’t think the situation would deteriorate the way it happened in the past. The chief minister and other officials will not let things get out of hand.

But there are fears that extremist elements might enter the picture.

I cannot really say anything about it. It is up to the government to ensure that nobody exploits the situation when Sikhs are feeling hurt due to religious reasons.

Sacha Sauda Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh speaks to Ajay Bharadwaj. 

What is the background of your Dera?

The Dera was originally set up in Sirsa in 1948 after it was displaced from Baluchistan in the wake of Partition. Sacha Sauda is not a name of any religion, caste, or any organisation. The meaning of Sacha Sauda is to truly meditate on the names of Allah, Ram, God — all of which are different names given to the power of the soul by various religions, without interfering in anyone’s religion or caste. The aim of the Dera Sacha Sauda is to make  people aware of the true presence of the Lord through the proper channel and guide humans towards the true love of the Lord.

What do you emphasise in your preaching?

We tell people to meditate on the name of God all the time, abstain from consumption of alcohol, meat and eggs, observe truth in day-to-day life, shun evil social practices like dowry and extramarital relations and follow the path of truth. The Dera does not accept donations or offerings from followers and believes in the equality of all human beings. That is why people of all castes and creeds, people from poor and rich families, all form part of the following.

Why did you wear the controversial dress that has invited the ire of the Sikh community?

I find nothing wrong in the dress as such. I keep wearing such robes very often when I go to address the sangat (community). At no stage did I mean to offend the sensibilities of the Sikhs. Moreover, we hold Guru Gobind Singh in high esteem as we do the other religious heads. I could never imagine equating myself with Guru Gobind Singh, or for that matter with any other religious head. The serving of amrit that has become so controversial has been a practice of ours since ages. We call it jaam-e-insaan, after partaking which a Dera follower becomes a true human being. We do not prepare it the way amrit is prepared in the Sikh tradition. So the entire thing has been misinterpreted.

Would you regret or say sorry about whatever has happened, even if it had happened inadvertently ?

We haven’t done anything wrong, for which we need to seek an apology. Nor did we intend to hurt anybody’s religious sentiments. Whatever has triggered the controversy now has been a normal practice in the Dera ever since it came into existence. The entire controversy is misplaced. We are prepared to clarify our stance, if required. But we’re sure we’ve done nothing to warrant such an agitation against us, which has instilled a grave sense of insecurity among Dera followers outside Haryana.

Is the reaction anything to do with the fact that the Dera had supported the Congress in the last elections?

That is for you to understand. I confine myself to religious preaching.