Latest Breaking News from Punjab: Saturday 30th June 2007

Interim bail for dera chief

Chandigarh, Even as the Punjab government has upped the ante on the Dera issue by granting sanction to prosecute and arrest Dera Sacha Sauda chief Sant Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today came to the rescue of the beleaguered Sant by granting him interim bail and also issued a notice of motion to Punjab for August 6.
Justice L.N. Mittal stated in his order, following a petition by the Dera chief that he be granted anticipatory bail, that “the petitioner (Dera chief), if arrested, shall be released on interim bail to the satisfaction of the arresting officer subject to conditions specified in Section 438(2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The petitioner shall also surrender his passport before the arresting officer”.
An FIR bearing No 262, dated May 20, under Section 295-A IPC was lodged against the dera chief at Police Station Kotwali, Bathinda, by Rajinder Singh Sidhu who claimed himself to be the president of Khalsa Diwan Guru Singh Sabha, Bathinda.
Following the registration of the FIR, the Punjab Police had obtained non-bailable production warrants against the dera chief from a Bathinda court and sought the permission of the Punjab government, as directed by the court, to arrest and start prosecution of Sant Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.
It was alleged in the FIR that advertisements had appeared in newspapers on May 13 showing Sant Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a dress similar to the one worn by the tenth Sikh Guru Sri Guru Gobind Singh. A ritual starkly similar to the Sikh baptisation ceremony was also allegedly performed by the Dera chief.
Strongly questioning the veracity of the FIR, the petitioner’s counsel submitted that the complaint was politically motivated and frivolous. It was stressed that no offence under Section 295-A IPC could be made out from the contents of the FIR.
He also averred that the petitioner had never imitated or tried to act like Guru Gobind Singh and, moreover, had apologised twice to assuage the hurt feelings of the Sikh community.
Hammering on the good Samaritan image of the dera, the petitioner’s counsel averred that the Dera’s name had found place in the Guinness Book of World Records as well as the Limca Book of Records for blood donation. The dera also organised spiritual santsangs and was engaged in various noble causes.
Touching upon the philosophical moorings of the Dera, counsel further submitted that whole spiritual edifice of the Dera was built upon the theme “Only God is worth praise who is known by various names”. The petitioner’s counsel averred that the furore had political genesis, as some news reports had suggested, and that the dera was being hounded for its reported support to the Congress.

Define apology, dera tells priests

Sirsa, The Dera Sacha Sauda followers today decided to continue their indefinite fast even after the Punjab and Haryana High Court granted interim bail to dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh till August 6 in a case registered against him in Bathinda under Section 295-A.
The dera said the protest would continue as there was no let up in atrocities being committed against dera followers in Punjab.
Dera’s chief spokesman Aditya Arora, while reacting on the High Court orders at a press conference here this evening, said “the matter is sub judice and our legal team is handling the matter so we will not comment on it.
However, the dera followers will continue their fast unto death staged in front of DC office as the atrocities against the dera followers continue in Punjab”.
He said “we have not closed the option to sort out the conflict with Sikhs
But we are hurt about the way in which our three apology letters have been rejected by the Sikh high priests.
We have great respect for 10th Guru Gobind Singh and Sikh Sangat. The dera had tendered a apology to the supreme Guru Gobind Singh and had sent the signed third letter to Sikh high priests.
“Now we will open dialogue only when the Sikh high priests will clarify who is supreme and to whom we can tender a fresh apology which is acceptable to them” he added.
Meanwhile, the decision of the High Court came as a relief for the dera followers who were eagerly waiting for the court orders.
Even before the religious discourse of the dera chief, many of the speakers expressed relief over the court orders while addressing dera followers at Majlis ground.
Meanwhile, a team of Haryana Police personnel, carrying security equipment- a part of Z plus security to be provided to dera chief, reached the dera today.
As many as 36 police personnel, including commandos and bulletproof vehicle, will be provided to the dera chief under Z-plus security cover.

Bitter sniping over dera issue - Congress/BJP/SAD Trying to get more supporters

Chandigarh, The Budget session of the Punjab Assembly today ended on a note of confrontation between the ruling SAD-BJP combine and the Congress on the dera issue.
The Congress MLAs not only rejected the personal invitation of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal as well as of the Speaker to join the lunch after the conclusion of the session but also decided to take on the government more strongly in the days to come. “For us a discussion on the latest law and order situation, which we were not allowed, was more important in the House than the invitation for lunch”, said Leader of the Opposition Rajinder Kaur Bhattal.
While Badal today rejected the Opposition demand to hold an inquiry into the alleged police excesses on Congress activists and common citizens, Bhattal said the “Badal government should go as it has failed to protect the Constitutional rights of followers of Dera Sacha Sauda in the state”.
Badal said: “ No major incident has taken place. The situation is under control. And hence there is no need to order any judicial or other inquiry”. He said cases had been registered against all those- they might be followers of the dera or those opposing them- who had been violating the law. “No one is above the law,” he affirmed when asked about the arrest of all those involved in creating trouble in the state for the past several weeks.
Badal said he had no word from his counterpart in Haryana with regard to joint maintenance of law and order because of the re-emergence of confrontation between followers of the dera and Sikh groups in certain parts of Punjab and Haryana.
On the other hand, Bhattal said Badal was playing divisive politics on the dera issue. “Why was the apology, which was prepared by involving senior functionaries of the SGPC and certain officers of the Punjab Government, not accepted,” she asked. The government could not be allowed to play political stunts on this very sensitive issue, she said.
“Badal was aware of the content of the apology,” she asserted. Not accepting the apology had put a question mark on the intentions of the government to maintain peace in the state, she said.
Followers of the dera were facing problems in holding marriages and other social functions, she said. They were being forced to accept “siropas”. She said efforts had been made to push “followers” out from the fold of Sikhism by preventing them from performing ceremonies as per Sikhism. “We are going to set up a 21-member committees of Congress activists in each village of Malwa region to protect the fundamental and constitutional rights of people and to maintain harmony and peace”, she said.
“We were expecting that Badal will make a suo motu statement today on the law and order situation in the Assembly today but he did not”, Bhattal said. “Badal wants to see Punjab burning,” she added.

Dera men, Sikhs come close to clashing thrice

Moga, Members of Sikh community and followers of Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda came close to a showdown thrice in and around the Nihal Singhwala sub-division during the past 24 hours.
Dera follower Buta Singh of Himmatpura village was organising ‘namcharcha’ when the activists of the Ek Noor Khalsa Fauj reached there and tried to stop him. The police brought the situation under control.
Elsewhere, unidentified persons burnt a tempo belonging to Ruldu Singh, a dera follower and a resident of Gehlan village, last night.
The bhog of a dera follower at Dhalle Ke village turned into a hotspot when the deceased’s brother Mangal Singh insisted that it be held according to the Sikh rites while his friends wanted a ‘nam charcha’.

Khalsa panel to reconstitute itself

Fatehgarh Sahib, The meeting of the Khalsa Action Committee (KAC), which was constituted to spearhead the agitation against the chief of Dera Sacha Sauda, was held here today sans the Sant Samaj. Even as several member of KAC continued to elude the media, some leaders confided that it had been decided to reconstitute the Khalsa Action Committee following recent developments.
A split in the Khalsa Action Committee was quite evident after the meeting. Some of the members, who appeared to be demoralised after the meeting, maintained that though some important decisions had been taken in the meeting, the details could not be revealed to the media.
However, sources within the KAC disclosed that the committee had decided to meet the Chief Ministers of both Punjab and Haryana to take up the issue of dera chief's arrest. Besides, the KAC has also decided to hold a series of protest marches in the state, the sources stated.
The KAC also approved the rejection of Dera's apology by the Akal Takht, the sources said.

Meeting of KAC at Fatehgarh Sahib

A meeting of KAC started here in Fatehgarh Sahib on late evening of 29 June. KAC is expected to decide future course of Action in this meeting. Extension of committee is also expected.
Dera Head's Arrest Stayed Till 6 Aug: All speculations of arrest of dera sauda head has been set at rest by Punjab and Haryana High Court which has issed a stay order against arrest warrest issued by Bathinda Court for arrest of dera sauda head.

Sant Samaj Withdraw From Membership of KAC

Sant Samaj, after a meeting, announced abondonment of membership of Khalsa Action Committee. Previously two nominees of Sant Samaj, Baba Baljit Singh Daduwal and Baba Sukhchain Singh Dharmpura were members of KAC.

Dera Demanded Dismissal of Punjab Government

Dera Sirsa has demanded dismissal of Badal Government form President of India. 25 Person affiliated to dera have started a fast to put pressure on Government. Dera is threatned by sanction of arrest given by Punjab Government yesterday.

Government Gives Sanction for Dera Head's Arrest

Punjab Government has given sanction, as requred by Bathinda Court's Arrest Warrant Order, to Bathinda Police to proceed for dera cheif's arrest.
Second Apology Rjected: In a crutial meeting today, the Akal Takht rejected second socalled apology submitted by dera sauda.

Jathedar Refused to Meet KAC

Jathedar Joginder Singh has refused to meet members of Khalsa Action Committee. It is notable that 5 members of KAC went to Sri AKal Takht Sahib to meet Jathedars and give their opinion on fresh apology by dera. But due to political pressure Jathedar refused to meet them. It was surprising that Sikhs were waiting for decision on dera issue but Jathedar was out for inaugrating somebody's house. His secretary informed KAC that Jathedar do not want to meet KAC members. Then Members of 5 member Sub-committee submitted their view through a letter for All Jathedars and released same to Press also.

Dera's Apology was Just a Press Release
Dera Sauda Sirsa (DSS)'s sealed letter termed as fresh apology by media was just a Press Release, with slite diffrence from previous such release.

Jathedar Sahiban, we shouldn't have been guessing

While it is to be appreciated that the Jathedars of the Sikh Takhts correctly understood the sentiments of the Sikh community and rejected the cleverly crafted apology of the Dera Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim, what is certainly not appreciable is the fact that the Sikh community had to wait with bated breath for the outcome till the clergy actually pronounced it. What was so obvious to the Sikh community collectively -- that the apology is only a clever stratagem, that the dera head is least repentant, that he is continuing to do exactly what he is apologizing for, that the government has done precious little in bringing him to book, that his followers are adamant on rather increasing the frequency of nam-charchas, that the state establishment has made its intentions clear by providing him with z-plus security -- was not considered enough to correctly fathom the end result of the Jathedars' confabulations.
The kind of response that the June 24 Khalsa Chetna March received from the Sikh sangat was indicator enough of the mood of the panth. The fact that the march was sought to be torpedoed not only by the elements in the Akali Dal-BJP government but even the SGPC and senior people working inside the Khalsa Action Committee and still turned out the way it did only sends out a positive signal. The Sikh community is aware of the hurt caused and is determined to remove the cause of the pain by either making the assaulter realize his mistake or taking measures to put its own house in order so that such attacks do not succeed.
It is at junctures like these that the history records the role of those at the helm. At a time when things move on smoothly, the leaders become only marginal players, but when a crisis emerges, the stuff of the leadership comes under question.
With every passing day, the dera head Gurmeet Ram Rahim is becoming a smaller man even in the eyes of his own followers who see that their idol is big enough to indulge in megalomania, ridiculous enough to imitate the Sikh Guru, stupid enough to then say that he can't even think of doing so, and Lilliputian enough to shirk saying a clear, candid sorry. That he is crook enough to keep crafting multiple versions of unrepentant apologies does no credit to a man whose avowed mission is to turn people into real 'insaans.'. Of course he can make a beginning by letting the CBI complete its probe into murder charge against himself, make clear his role in systematic molestation of the girls at the dera and present before the people his true motives in imitating Sikh religious lexicon.
And the Sikh leadership, including the clergy, must also beware that with each passing day, they too are under watch, and must not do anything to reduce their own stature. What Paramjit Singh Sarna has done, or Avtar Singh Makkar forever tries to do, is the one thing that a Sikh leader must stay miles away from. The Sarnas had won considerable goodwill among the Sikhs of Punjab, and they will have to do considerable effort now to win it back. The only good thing they have done is to turn themselves into befitting examples of what the leaders must not try to do when dealing with the sentiments of the community. Be clear, be transparent. Cloak and dagger, as we earlier said, is not a strategy to be employed at home.

Sikhs and the law of the land

A deredar of Sirsa has insulted the Guru of the Sikhs, the history of the Sikhs, the principles and traditions of the Sikhs. More than a month has since passed. Neither the media has presented the view point of the Sikhs honestly nor has the government done justice. The community is being told that law will take its course but the culprit who has insulted an entire community is being provided a level of security equivalent to that available to the Prime Minister. His deras are being guarded with the same zeal. When it comes to committing excesses upon the Sikhs, then where does this course of the law run? Unless these issues are deliberated upon and understood, the ongoing agitation of the Sikhs will not be able to deliver crystallized results.
Under the law of the land, the Sikhs who were displaced from Pakistan during the Partition got lesser land than what they left behind. It was as per the law set down by the government that the Sikhs were not allowed to live at one place. When the Punjabi Suba was carved after thousands of Sikhs went to jail and S. Darshan Singh Pheruman attained martyrdom, lakhs of Punjabis and vast swathes of Punjabi-speaking areas were left outside Punjab. Control of the river waters and the power generation/distribution was snatched away. All of this was the result of the law taking its own course.
In 1978, 13 Sikhs were killed by the nakli Nirankaris at Sri Amritsar. The court at Karnal not only acquitted all the accused in this case but also admonished the police for wrongly implicating the peace-loving citizens (Narakdharis) and thus hurting them. This pronouncement of the court was as per the law of the land. In 1984, on the day of the Shaheedi Gurpurab of the fifth Sikh Guru, under the garb of arresting Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Bhindranwale, the Indian Army attacked Sri Darbar Sahib with tanks and artillery, which was presumably as per the law of the land. Mind you, that not a single case was pending against Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale in any thana or court. At least not under the law of the land.
The 21st century began for this country with the application of the law of the land when the police presented 133 witnesses against Prof Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar but not one was able to identify him. He, however, has been sentenced to death, of course under the law of the land.
Why does the law go to sleep when it comes to the Sikhs? When the RSS leadership openly terms the Sikhs as part of Hindus, does that not amount to an excess as per the law of the land? The little subtle secret is that even the Constitution of the country does not recognize the independent identity of the Sikhs. When constitutionally the Sikhs do not have an existence of their own, then where is the issue of being victims of excess?
When people immigrate from one country to the other, and the law of the new nation does not recognize them, then they can be termed illegal, aliens, but those who are deprived of their rights in the lad of their birth are not illegal. They are slaves. The illegal, the aliens are expatiated by the governments, thrown into jails but to loot, beat, kill or jail the slaves, you don't need much of the law. For example, even if the Supreme Court has not considered or pronounced that shouting a slogan in favour of Khalistan is any crime, but myself is facing a case of no less a crime than the crime of sedition for ostensibly doing exactly that. The most heinous crime in any country is the crime of sedition, but in this country, one is booked for sedition for desecrating a statue. Sardar Simranjit Singh Mann is facing a case of sedition because he did not like the fact that there should be a statue of Beant Singh who is no icon of human rights. Compared to his actions, the head of the dera who insulted the Sikhs gets Z+ security.
The inference is simple: Because the quom is pushed into slavery, the izzat accorded to a statue is more important than the izzat of the entire quom.
The Constitution and the law of this land is based on the brahamanvaadi philosophy. The basis of this philosophy is caste, idol worship and bharam-jaal. The SIkh gurus replaced caste with the philosophy of ‘Manas ki jaat sabhe aike pehchaanbo’ and ‘Sarbat Da Bhala’. The idol worship and human-worship were replaced with Akal Purakh and Shabad-Guru. The mumbo-jumbo of bharam and mantars was replaced by the construct of the Khalsa's high living and true calling.
The Khalsa made history by following the path of the Gurus and had its own reign. Many do not like the fact that the Gurus were able to negate the Brahamanvaad's basic concepts and equipped the Sikhs with their separate ideology, history and unique identity which enabled them to rule. It is because of this that whenever anyone insults the Saroop, the principles or the Gurus of the Sikhs, he invariably gets a pat from the state or the central governments. The rise of the pakhandis like Narakdharis, Nurmehlias and many others who hurt the Sikh principals and sentiments can only be ascribed to this. The Sirsa creature is only part of this pattern.
One last thing. Can the Sikhs find a way to remain alive as Sikhs? The answer is that they will have to remain conscious and resolute about their history and principles. They must stick to their unique Rehat and conduct, and must ensure that in their land of birth the Punjab, the laws must be in consonance with the philosophy of Guru Granth Sahib and Sikh principles so that the Sikhs can live like Sikhs should. Many Sikhs think that with the Sirsa dera head seeking apology, being arrested or dying, the issue will end. But this is only a miniscule part of the larger issues being faced by the Sikhs. The key problems of the Sikhs will remain as long as they do not become the arbiters of their own existence. They may have to witness more rounds of 1947, 1966, 1978, 1984. The slaves do not breathe easily. They haven’t done so in history. When anyone can get up and insult the Guru of the Sikhs, and the Sikhs start holding dharnas, then be clear about the inference. Raaj bina na dharma chale hain…
The medieval ages had a proverb – the might is right. The core of this wisdom hasn’t changed in modern times. If Punjab had been ruled as per the Sikh philosophy and principles, then anyone insulting the Gurus would have been extended the same treatment as Chandu was meted by the Guru of Miri-Piri. Then we would not have been spilling out on the roads to seek justice. Then we would not have been facing sedition cases. The ever rising fencing around the Salabatpura dera only signifies our political slavery.
(The author is Senior Vice President of Shiromani Akali Dal-Amritsar)

Escaping the Dragnet: New Tactics of Dera Sauda

The day Bathinda court issued warrants to arrest Gurmeet Ram Rahim, Dera Chief in an emergency meeting gave a call to his followers to sacrifice their life for his love ( prem). In his official statement he accused some anti-social elements for terrorizing his followers to peacefully assemble for religious ceremonies. He regretted that it was in sharp contravention to freedom provided in the Indian constitution. Anti-social elements terrorizing Premis he referred to were obviously Sikhs who felt insulted at the mockery of supreme sacrifice of tenth Guru Gobind Singh. Commanding a considerable influence at Government levels at the center and the state, Dera chief succeeded in getting Z Plus security, mostly a prerogative of high profile government officials and political stalwarts.. It is believed that Z Plus status considerably helped in salvaging the waning charisma of Gurmeet Ram Rahim’s stature as a self-styled Guru. But what seems out of the reach of the Dera Mukhi is the control of judicial system. Hysterical reactions look to have marked Gurmeet Ram Rahim’s behavior when cases in various courts are taken up for hearing. It is followed by an appeal to his followers to save deteriorating humanity.
Unexpected move of delivering a letter of apology to DGMC chief Parmjit Singh Sarna and a sealed copy to Akal Takht Jathedar Vedanti, arouse many speculations about Gurmeet Ram Rahim’s latest tactics to walk out of the legal wrangling. Sarna claims the credit for forcing Gurmeet Ram Rahim to tender apology to Sikh Sangat. It is not clear who entrusted Sarna to have parleys with excommunicated leader. As a matter of fact, Dera closely monitored Bathinda court decision of arrest warrants against him, and then prepared to deal with the situation at political, official and religious levels. At the political level, Dera Mukhi activated Congress sympathizers to influence Haryana Government to skirt the judicial warrants in public interest and peace. He also asked Punjab Congress to come forward in his support; since Rajinder Kaur Bhattal owes to Dera Mukhi a seat in Vidhan Sabha, she accused Sikhs of witch-hunting premis . At the official level, Dera is trying to invoke fundamental rights provided for citizens under the Indian constitution. And at the religious level, he has already asked premis to shed their blood for their Guru. He claimed that by puncturing his finger he had given his blood to his followers, instead of first taking theirs. Having enacted the rituals, Dera Chief has openly given a call to all his followers to reach Sirsa for a legendary show of strength and unity to ward off any attempt to arrest him.
Haryana Government’s preparedness to tackle the situation after Bathinda Court’s orders indicates that law and order problem will be its priority. Premis are pouring in Sirsa from different states to thwart their leader’s arrest. They have been asked to sacrifice their life for love of humanity and freedom of conscience.
The third apology by dera chief has again started the heat that was believed to have cooled down. Should Akal Takht reconsider its edict in view of the fresh development? Who authorized the DSGMC chief to prevail on Dera Mukhi to tender apology? Accepting belated apology will mean withdrawing cases of blasphemy registered against him in different police stations. Will Sikh Sangat be prepared to take these steps? Withdrawal of cases will render court warrants ineffective. The fact that apology came immediately after court orders is evidence enough of Dera Mukhi’s opportunism and insincerity. Dera Mukhi obviously wants to divide Sikhs through his sympathizers in Congress, Akalis and panthic groups. The court orders to arrest Baba seemed to have caused turmoil in central and state agencies. Badal government might be under pressure to choose between his government and Gurmeet Ram Rahim’s arrest. The hobnobbing of Sarna at the behest of Center government is a clear signal of a secret bargain at the political level. The center keeps reminding Badal as to who is in the driving seat. Badal will have no choice except to toe Congress government’s line for saving his government and his leadership.
The fall out of the whole mess is that political parties are dealing with Sikhs’ problems for carving niche for themselves. The core of the problem has not been addressed. The controversy should have disturbed Sikh intellectuals to come forward with concrete policy to get such directions from Akal Takht as to end troubles in future. It is not Dera Sauda alone that embarrasses Sikhs; numerous others are using Sikh scriptures to establish their personal seminaries in flagrant violation of Gurmat principles. Tenth Guru’s edict is unambiguous in this regard. Sikhs have been commanded to treat Guru Granth Sahib as living Guru and the Khalsa as vigilantes. Sects not believing in authority of Guru Granth Sahib have no right to use Gurbani and Sikh symbols in their Deras. The edict from Akal Takht in this respect can end confrontations with Dera Mukhis; because when Dera sects stop using Sikh symbolism and scriptures, they are free to believe in anything they want The Khalsa Chetna March on June 24, 2007 succeeded in drawing Sikhs from all walks of life. The fact that it remained peaceful, and on the target might have upset DSGMC Chief Parmjit Singh Sarna and SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar. Heads of two religious bodies have shown that they failed in providing policies that could remove irritants in relationships of Sikhs with other religious organizations. People’s overwhelming participation in the Khalsa Chetna March is an indication of the fact that Dera’s controversy cannot easily be put on the back burner. Delhi and Chandigarh governments are looking for only politically convenient ways to keep the fires burning so that they could bake their cake and eat it too.
Dera controversy is an issue of Sikhs’ betrayal and a systematic interference in the practice of their faith. Governments should have encouraged Sikh organizations to come forward with a religious solution and warned Deras Sauda not to encroach on forbidden territories.
The issue of apology has long lost religious importance. The third apology is nothing other than a political ploy to evade Dera Mukhi’s arrest and divide Sikh ranks. It is a political stratagem to confuse and confound religious leaders.
Before Jathedar Vedanti is back from his trip abroad, delegates of SGPC, DSGMC, Sant Samaj, Panthic organizations should meet again to consider all aspects apology and give written representation to Akal Takht Jathedar. By adopting a minimum program, there won’t be any room for Jathedar Vedanti to go out of the mandate of the majority. The genuine apology spontaneously springs from the bottom of a repentant heart and needs no mediation for expression. Dera chief’s words “ I cannot think of copying Guru Gobind Singh” is a flat refusal to admit his mistake. In the wake of a call to his followers to counter ‘anti-social elements’ (Dera’s words for Sikhs), administering of Jaam-e-Insa again and again, and invoking political interference in his support,
Gurmeet Ram Rahim’s apology is not only meaningless but also a mockery of Sikh sentiments. Jathedar may be advised to defer his decision on apology until Gurmeet Ram Rahim is arrested. Sikhs in general and leaders in particular deserve to be congratulated for peaceful demonstrations. Peaceful and orderly marches can have greater effect on people. Sikhs should also respect difference of opinions without losing sight of greater good. The path to negotiations should never be given up even if nothing appears emerging out of it.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim gets bail

CHANDIGARH: Two days after the Akal Takht rejected the fresh apology of the Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmit Ram Rahim, the murder accused self-styled holyman currently the cause of anger among Sikhs, was granted interim bail by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday, just a day after the Punjab Government gave a go ahead to the police to arrest him in a case of hurting religious sentiments.

Earlier on Friday the Dera had moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking quashing of the Bhatinda court's non-bailable arrest warrant against its head Gurmeet Ram Rahim. The decision by the Bhatinda court came in the wake of the Punjab government giving sanction for arrest and prosecution of the Dera Sacha Sauda head.
Earlier in the day, the sect's spokesman Aditya Arora had said that the "sect will either seek anticipatory bail for the Dera chief or quashing of the June 20 order of the Duty Magistrate A L Khitchi, who had issued conditional bailable arrest warrant against the Dera chief". Meanwhile, there are reports that fissures are emerging within the Dera Sauda over the matter of apology and one faction is advising against enraging the entire Sikh community and wants the Dear Head to issue a clear, candid and truthful apology. Also, the loyalists and kin of two of the jailed followers of Gurmeet Ram Rahim, Avtar Singh and Babu Indersen, are worried that Gurmeet Ram will leave them in a lurch.
Reacting on the High Court's directive, Bathinda police chief Naunihal Singh said that "police is awaiting for detailed orders of the High Court and once they are received it will act accordingly."
Issuing the warrant returnable on July 1, the Bhatinda court had stipulated that the police seek the permission of the state government for prosecuting Gurmeet Ram Rahim. The clearance by the Punjab government to arrest the Dera head came after the Akal Takht, the supreme temporal seat of Sikhs, rejected a fresh "apology" by the Dera Sacha Sauda chief for allegedly denigrating Sikh Guru Gobind Singh.
The Dera chief had invited the ire of Akal Takht for allegedly dressing like Sikh Guru Gobind Singh and his action sparked violent protest by Sikhs across Punjab last month.

Punjab govt hardens stand against dera chief

CHANDIGARH: Punjab government has hardened its stand towards dera Sacha Sauda even as Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday granted interim bail to dera chief Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh.
Punjab and Haryana High Court has granted interim bail to Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh till August 6, few hours after the formal orders of Punjab government granting sanction to arrest the dera chief reached to Bathinda police.
Bathinda police was awaiting state government nod to arrest the dera Chief after the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate had issued arrest warrants of dera Chief with a rider that state government permission would be required before police executing the arrest warrants.
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today defended the state government action and stated said "nobody is above law and the state government is working well within the ambit of law". Chief Minister aid that "nobody is above law".
About the accusations of Dera and Congress leadership in Punjab that "excesses" were being allegedly committed against "the Dera followers, the Chief Minister said "no one can claimany excesses committed against anyone."
A case was registered against Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for allegedly attiring in a dress to look alike Guru Gobind Singh in newspaper advertisements issued on May 13. A clash between dera followers and Sikhs had taken place in Bathinda on May 14.
The Sikh clergy had issued edict for social, religious and political boycott of dera chief and his followers on May 17 at a Sikh conclave in Talwandi Sabo. The Akal Takht had also rejected two apologies tendered by dera. The Sikh clergy has described dera chief arrogant as he had addressed the apology to Guru Gobind Singh and issued it in the form of apress note.
The Akal Takht has called a Sikh convention in Ratia in Haryana on July. However, it is learnt that Haryana government has decided not to grant permission for the Sikh conclave.

Sarna to continue member of Khalsa Action Committee

FATEHGARH SAHIB: Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) president Paramjit Singh Sarna will continue to work as member of Khalsa Action Committee.

The members of the Khalsa Action Committee (KAC), which held a meeting at Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib requested Sarna to continue as member of the committee.
When contacted on phone Sarna confirmed the development. He admitted that KAC members requested him on phone to contiune as member of the committee and he accepted their request as he want to make his contribution. He said that he earlier refused to work as Chairman of KAC as it was not possible for him to attend every meeting of the committee.
Though most of members which attended meeting at Gurdwara Sir Fatehgarh Sahib refused to disclose the details of meeting but according to sources during the meeting it was decided to re-constitute KAC to intensify their agitation against the Dera Sacha Sauda chief .
As expected the members of Sant Samaj participated in today’s meeting. The meeting continued till late in the evening. Some of the members, who appeared to be demoralised after the meeting, maintained that though some important decisions had been taken in the meeting, but the details could not be revealed to the media.
However, sources within the KAC disclosed that the committee had decided to meet the chief minister of both Punjab and Haryana soon to intensify their agitation against the issue of Dera chief’s arrest. Besides, the KAC also decided to hold a series of protest marches soon in those sources, which have strong following of Dera , the sources said. Sources said that the KAC also approved the rejection of Dera’s apology by the Akal Takht, the sources said.
During the meeting , some members criticized Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal for his role in the Dera row.
Sources said that some of the Sikh hardliners were planning to hold another meeting later tonight to review the deliberations that were held during the meeting.

Latest Breaking News from Punjab: Friday 29th June 2007

Dera Row: Khalsa panel splits; Sant Samaj recalls 2

Amritsar, In a major jolt to the Sikh hardliners, who have been spearheading a campaign against Dera Sacha Sauda, the 15-member Khalsa Action Committee (KCA) has been split, a day before its crucial meeting scheduled to be held at Fatehgarh Sahib. An emergency meeting of Sant Samaj has decided to withdraw its two members from the committee. President of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee Parmjit Singh Sarna, who had played an important role in eliciting the fresh apology from the dera, has already dissociated from the committee.
Talking to The Tribune, chief of the Damdami Taksal Baba Harnam Singh Khalsa said the emergency meeting of the Sant Samaj, held at Zira today, decided in principle to withdraw its both members, Sukhchain Singh and Baljit Singh Daduwal, from the committee. However, former Jathedar of Akal Takht Bhai Jasbir Singh Rode said he would attend tomorrow’s meeting. The Damdami Taksal chief said the Sant Samaj would abide by the directive of the Jathedar of Akal Takht, who had given a call to hold a Sikh conclave at Ratia in Haryana in July to demand the arrest of Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim.

The day after, dera followers take out protest march

Sirsa, The ongoing conflict between Sikhs and dera followers has further aggravated. While holding a protest march the Dera Sacha Sauda today blamed Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for rejection of their fresh apology letter by Akal Takht alleging that Badal did not want to resolve the dispute for political gains.
The dera claimed that the fresh apology letter was issued only after SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar and the CM were made aware of the contents of the letter and both had assured the mediators that the apology would end the row between the two sides.
While talking to newsmen during the dharna staged by hundreds of dera followers outside the DC office, the chief spokesman of the dera, Aditya Arora, added that Badal got the apology rejected as he did not want the credit to go to the president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee Paramjit Singh Sarna, who took the initiative to resolve the dispute between Sikhs and dera followers.

Dera Apology Issue Cong questions role of govt

Chandigarh, Giving a new twist to the Dera Sacha Sauda controversy, the Congress today stalled the working of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha charging the ruling SAD-BJP combine with playing politics on the issue and jeopardising the fragile peace of the state.
The act of the Sikh clergy in rejecting the apology of the dera chief and of the Punjab government in allowing his arrest had raised questions and doubts, said leader of the opposition Rajinder Kaur Bhattal while addressing a press conference after the adjournment of the house here.
She went on to question the “unconstitutional” acts in which the followers of the dera were being victimised. Bhattal could, however, not give a clear reply if dera chief Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh should be arrested or not, saying “ everyone’s constitutional rights should be protected”. She said the arrest of the dera chief --- allowed by the Punjab government yesterday --- could create serious law and order problems.
Questioning the rejection of the apology, Bhattal said when every word of the apology was drafted with the consent of the SGPC, Sikh organisations, the Khalsa action committee and representatives of the government, one wondered how it was rejected this time.
She alleged “some doubts have been created about the role of the ruling combine in getting the apology rejected” and asked: “What is the motive in rejecting the apology”?
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal should have called an all-party meeting on the dera issue and explained what action he proposed to take. By allowing the arrest, Badal had acted on his own and the damage it could cause remained to be seen. Bhattal launched an attack on the Chief Minister for being absent from the Vidhan Sabha and not explaining the stance of the government on the issue and also on Speaker of the Vidhan Sabha Nirmal Singh Kahlon, alleging that he was behaving like a Speaker of the SAD and not of the entire house.
Bhattal was irked when the Speaker disallowed an adjournment motion moved by her in the house seeking a discussion on the law and order situation. ''We wanted to highlight atrocities on Congress workers, 121 false cases and yesterday’s development on Dera Sacha Sauda that could lead to serious law and order problems, but were not permitted to do so by the Speaker'', Bhattal said.
She described the Speaker’s ruling as undemocratic.
Asked about the call for a social boycott of dera followers given by Akal Takht last month, Bhattal said: " It is the duty of the government to ensure the safety of its citizens".
This morning in the assembly, once question hour ended, pandemonium prevailed when Bhattal sought to raise the issue, saying her party had moved an adjournment motion seeking a debate on the law and order situation in the state.
The Speaker said there was "no urgency". Noticing the attitude of the Speaker towards their demand, the members of the opposition started anti-government sloganeering. They went into the well and staged a vociferous protest, forcing the Speaker to adjourn the house for an hour.
When the house reassembled, the opposition members again trooped into the well and disrupted the proceedings, forcing the Speaker to adjourn the house for the second time.
However, during the second adjournment, the opposition members squatted in the well and started making impromptu speeches on the law and order situation and the dera row.
The Speaker's repeated requests to opposition leader Bhattal to exercise control over her party members was ignored, which compelled him to adjourn the house till tomorrow morning.

Dera Chief’s Acts Panthak panel sought

Amritsar, Demanding the setting up of a “panthak” commission to look into the acts of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the past, Sikh organisation the Gursikh and its wing the ‘Shahibaz Khalsa’ here today presented copies of newspapers brought out by the Dera and contents on the Dera websites.
At a press conference Ratinder Singh Indore, president of the Gursikh, an organisation devoted to research and investigation, said now the situation had gone much beyond an apology by the Dera chief. “There are documentats of his hurting religious sentiments of Sikh in the past as well and a commission should look into these,” he said.
Akal Takht has the right to forgive but for that the Dera chief should first appear at Akal Takht as an ordinary Sikh if he wanted to be forgiven, he said.
The Gursikh leaders also screened footage from news channels, showing the Dera chief sitting atop the religious symbol of Sikhs. “We have also found objectionable contents in the Dera’s newspaper, “Sachi Siksha” and on the three websites of the Dera,” said Indore.
A delegation of the Gursikh gave a memorandum to the Sikh high priests yesterday, demanding a commission, with intellectuals, advocates, judges and media persons as its members.
Indore also condemned the way Akal Takht was being pressurised by the Akali Dal and the SGPC by giving political colour to the entire Dera Sacha Sauda issue.

Pressured Jathedars Reject Latest Sirsa Letter

Amritsar Sahib (KP) - The Jathedars of the five Takhts rejected the latest supposed apology issued by the Sirsa Sauda Dera, dashing the hopes of middlemen who had promoted the letter as the final closure to the cult controversy.
According to Panthic observers, the stage was already set for the Jathedars to “forgive” the cult dera chief. The so-called apology letter had arrived a week ago, one copy was distributed to the press, another one ‘sealed’ in an envelope that was to be opened by only the Jathedar of Akal Takht Sahib. There was pressure from all sides for the Jathedars to close up this controversy soon.
In fact, Paramjit Sarna of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) had prematurely announced the controversy was over. He, along with Harnam Singh Dhumma and Jathedar Balwant Singh Nandgarh, distanced themselves from the Khalsa Action Committee (KAC), and refused to participate in the protest march organized last weekend.
Akal Takht Secretariat turned into a Police Station
A large amount of Sangat had begun to gather outside the courtyard of Sri Akal Takht Sahib while the Jathedars were deliberating inside. The Akal Takht Secretariat has become a virtual Punjab Police sub-station. A local SSP and DSP, along with scores of Punjab Police officers were present in the Secretariat lobby, in civilian uniform. No one from the Sangat was being allowed in or out without their permission.
Due to the friction between the Jathedars and KAC, a sub-committee consisting of 5 representatives from KAC was dispatched to Akal Takht Sahib but they were snubbed by the Jathedars who refused to meet with them.
Pressure for Panthic organizations
Along with the KAC, the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Dal Khalsa, GURSIKH/Shahbaaz Khalsa , Akali Dal (Amritsar), and Bhai Ram Singh of Damdami Taksal Sangrawan all forwarded their appeals to the Jathedars to not forgive the dera chief.
GURSIKH and Shahbaaz Khalsa present further evidence against dera chief
Along with others, the representatives of the Panthic organization GURSIKH and Shahbaaz Khalsa waited for several hours outside Akal Takht Sahib. According to them, they had further damning evidence against the dera chief. This entire set of evidence included several videos, 79 copies of original newspapers, over 60 original magazines, dozens of photographs, produced and printed by the Sirsa cult. The printed content contained highly objectionable content that would be considered blasphemous to the Sikh Nation.
After continuous pressure from outside, three representatives, Bhai Ratinder Singh Indore, Bhai Sukhmander Singh Karmuwala, and Bhai Avtar Singh Delhi were allowed to enter. After painstakingly collecting the original publications printed by the dera, the GURSIKH-Shahbaaz Khalsa representatives had researched the contents and highlighted the objectionable material for ease of reference.
GURSIKH representatives stated to the Jathedars that the Sirsa based cult has a long history of distorting Sikhi and Gurmat principles, so apologies should be out of the question. After viewing the presented evidence, along with ongoing pressure from Panthic organizations, it would have been very difficult for the Jathedars to forgive the dera chief.
GURSIKH-Shahbaaz Khalsa requested that the Jathedars create a fact-finding panel that would research in depth the distortion and mis-parchar being promoted by the dera. They also requested that the Jathedars summon Parmjit Sarna and any other Sikh leaders who secretly held meetings with Sirsa dera representatives and violated the Hukamnamas issued by Akal Takht Sahib.
In the end, the Panthic representatives requested the Jathedars to summon a Sarbat Khalsa if they were not capable of handling this issue in the proper manner. The Jathedars have now heard the message loud and clear.

Apology Rejected, Boycott to Continue
After the GURSIKH-Shahbaaz Khalsa left, the Jathedars further deliberated and finally issued two Gurmattas, one rejecting the purported apology and labeled it as a mere ‘unsigned press release’, and continuation of the dera boycott, the second one criticized the treatment of Sikhs in Haryana and called for a Panthic meeting on the 11th of July.

According Panthic sources, the purported apology was a result of several surreptitious meetings held between the head of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) Paramjit Sarna, representatives of the Sauda cult, and certain Congress Party officials. In one of the key meetings, held at the residence of Punjab Police SSP RS Khatrra, Sarna met with cult representatives Gurbaz Sinh, Ram Sinh, Ram Saroop, Ramkarn Sinh and Congress Party official Harminder Jassi. Jassi’s son is married to the dera chief’s daughter.
Liquor Baron Involved
Interestingly, the entire set of meetings that took place had been orchestrated by liquor baron Ponty Chadda with blessings from both the Congress Party and the Akali Government of Parkash Badal. Ponty is a close relative of Paramjit Sarna of the DSGMC, and the main distributor behind the controversial film “Bole So Nihal.”
Sarna Blames Bittu, Dhumma
Paramjit Sarna, on the other hand, expressed regret that the Jathedars did not accept the apology. He vented his frustrations at other members of the KAC, in particular Daljit S. Bittu, Harnam S. Dhumma, and Jasbir Singh Rode. He alleged that Avtar Makkar, Parkash Badal, Bittu, Dhumma, and Rode all had advance knowledge of the clandestine meetings between the dera and him and they reassured him that they would support the outcome. “I am not disheartened, but feel hurt that they [Bittu, Dhumma, and Rode] have backed away from their initial stand, this should not have happened.”
The Khalsa Action Committee has called for a meeting on the 29th on the Sirsa issue, observers feel there might be some introspection by the organization and possible action taken against Sarna and associates.

Giani Balwant Singh Nandgarh Retracts ?

Damdama Sahib (KP) – Giani Balwant Singh Nandgarh who is revered as somewhat more panthic than other Jathedars received the wrath of the Sikh Sangat after the Khalsa Action March finalized at Takhat Sri Damdama Sahib. Jathedar Nandgarh had remained absent from the whole march but upon the finalization, when he approached to welcome the Sangat, Khalsa Action Committee members rejected his siropas.
Although no reasons were supplied by Jathedar Nandgarh regarding his absence from the march, various assumptions were made by other leaders who were present there. It should be noted that during the initial Panthic meet at Takhat Sri Damdama Sahib, Jathedar Nandgarh played a big role in getting Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti and other Jathedars to reconsider issuing a more suitable hukamnama to tackle the Dera Sacha Sauda issue.
After this incident, it came to light that Parkash Badal in particular had not appreciated the stand taken by Jathedar Balwant Singh Nandgarh and for that reason, the SAD (B) and SGPC had tried putting pressure on him to resign from his post. Although Jathedar Nandgarh prevailed by not resigning, it appeared from his absence that the warnings of Parkash Badal and other SGPC officials did some work. It should be kept in mind that similar to the cases of Vedanti and other Jathedars, Balwant Singh Nandgarh was appointed as Takhat Sri Damdama Sahib's Jathedar after the approval of Parkash Badal. In addition, Jathedar Nandgarh has long enjoyed proximity with Kirpal Singh Badungar, an SGPC supremo.
While addressing the press after the finalization of the protest march, some leaders expressed that Jathedar Nandgarh had not stayed true to his words, as he along with Paramjit S. Sarna, had accepted the 'phony' apology of Gurmeet Ram Rahim without having discussed the matter in detail with other Panthic leaders. Surprisingly, it also came to light that Jathedar Nandgarh had tried to contact several leaders to get the march canceled or delayed.
Khalsa Action Committee members told the Sangat to be wary of the about-faces of the so-called 'Panthic' leaders. Unless our Jathedars start to fulfill their Panthic obligations, the Sikh Sangat should not buy into their agenda.

Koorra Sauda Followers Gather in Sirsa

Sirsa, Haryana (KP) - Thousands of followers of Koorra Sauda gathered in Sirsa at the headquarters of the Dera, showing support for their leader, pakhandee Gurmeet Raam Raheem. Followers gathered to brainstorm ways to counter alleged "excesses on the Dera followers by some anti-social elements."
Dera followers called the meeting shortly after the conditional arrest warrant was issued for their leader. Members and representatives from all over India were in attendance at the meeting.
Tensions in Punjab rose between Sikhs and followers of the Dera after the Dera leader disrespected Guru Gobind Singh Jee by imitating the way Guru Gobind Singh Jee is depicted and mocking the Amrit Sanchaar in May of this year. Since then, many clashes between Sikhs and Dera followers have occurred.
Meanwhile, many dera 'premis' stated that their faith in the dera had been shaken and the Hukumnama issued from Takht Sri Damdama Sahib regarding excommunication of dera followers had made them realize the truth. Hundreds of followers are now converting to Sikhi and have sworn to follow only Sri Guru Granth Sahib from now on.
Because of the tension, additional polices forces have been deployed to keep an eye on the situation. Tight security was also provided around the Dera for this meeting; this is in addition to the Cult leader’s "Z Plus" security.

Dera issue blowing into political controversy

CHANDIGARH: The issue of dera Sacha Sauda is expected to blow into a major political controversy with dera authorities also drawing battle lines against Sikh community. The dera has also sought the help of President of India and Union government to rescue it from the criris.
The tension has brewed in Sirsa the headquater of dera Sacha Sauda after Punjab government granted permission to Punjab police to arrest the dera chief Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh wanted by Bathinda police in a case of blasphemy.
The Dera Sacha Sauda has approached President A P J Abdul Kalam and demanded dismissal of the Punjab government for "politically manipulating" the sequence of events in the wake of the controversy involving its head despite the sect's efforts to broker peace with Sikhs. The dera has demanded immediate withdrawl of case against dera head.
The Congress led center government in Delhi is unlikely to react immediately to the demand of dera. However, Congress may try to use the issue for political offensive against ruling Shiromani Akali Dal(SAD).
The action committee of the dera, in a letter to Kalam, also demanded registration of case against those who are allegedly committing excesses on its followers. The committee also sought action against those who had vandalised the property of Dera followers at different places in Punjab, the sect's spokesman Aditya Insaan said.
"All false cases registered against our followers by police should be withdrawn immediately," the committee demanded in the letter, copies of which were also sent to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Home Minister Shivraj Patil and governors of Punjab and Haryana.
Insaan said despite the Dera chief apologising to Gobind Singh -- the tenth Sikh Guru -- Sikh clerics "failed to respond positively". He alleged forcible conversions of Hindus and Dalits were taking place. "Those involved in forcible stopping of 'naam charcha' (religious recitation) must be arrested immediately," he said. "We are also exploring all legal options...When the police will arrive to arrest Dera chief, we will then decide what action needs to be taken," he said.

Echoes of dera Sacha Sauda issue heard in Punjab assembly

CHANDIGARH: The echoes of dera Sacha Sauda controversy were on Thursday heard in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha and house was adjourned twice following slogan shouting by Congress MLA's who wanted debate on current law and order situation in Punjab.
Punjab government had yesterday given permission to Punjab police to arrest dera chief Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh in a case of blasphemy registered against him in Bathinda.
Leader of the opposition Rajinder Kaur Bhattal had moved an adjournment motion to discuss law and order situation, which was not accepted by Speaker Nirma Singh Kahlon. The speaker said that law and order issue had been discussed at length during debate on budget.
Bhattal immediately after zero hour requested the Speaker to allow the adjournment motion because she wanted to discuss yesterday's happenings on law and order, without making specific mention of rejection of second apology of dera chief by Akal Takht. Though outside the house she clarified that she wanted to discuss law and order situation arising out of dera controversy.
Speaker told the leader of opposition that he had not yet studied the adjournment motion. The Congress MLA'a came to the well of the house and started raising slogans. Speaker adjourned the house for one hour at 11 AM. The Congress MLA's however continued to sit in the house. When house assembled again at 12 o'clock, the Congress MLA's again demanded discussion on adjournment motion. Speaker rejected the request saying that he had gone through the motion. there is nothing new in it. 'The house has already discussed law and order", he ruled.
When Congress MLA's continued to disturb the house, speaker adjourned it for the day. BJP ministers Tikshan Sood and Manoranjan Kalia condemned the attitude of Congress leaders and described it undemocratic.
Later, Bhattal at a press conference condemned the attitude of Speaker for not allowing them to speak on burning issue. She said that serious law and problem could arise with the arrest of dera Sacha Sauda chief Baba Guirmit Ram Rahim Singh. She said that Akalis had enacted drama by rejecting apology by dera. She said that SAD leaders and Akal Takht Jathedar knew the contents of apology but they preferred to dramatise it. She said that dera had apologized twice. She said that Sikh Gurus have always advocated that who pardons is bigger than the sinner. She said that arrest of dera head must be avoided.
She also alleged vendetta against Congress leaders and workers by SAD-BJP government. She said that they would continue to raise voice in the house.

Latest Breaking News from Punjab: Thursday 28th June 2007

Punjab government grants permission to arrest Dera chief


The Punjab government late Wednesday gave permission to the state police to execute the non-bailable warrant issued against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh on the charge of hurting religious sentiments of the Sikh community.A Bathinda court had last week issued the warrant against the sect head following a controversy last month over his portrayal in the manner of 10th Sikh guru Gobind Singh. The court has also asked police to take the state government's permission before executing the warrant.Confirming that the home department had given police a go-ahead, Punjab Advocate General H.S. Mattewal said: "Whatever the government had to do in this case has been done now."The Punjab Police has time till July 1 to take the Dera chief into custody. But the Dera headquarters is situated at Sirsa in Haryana. So they will first need to approach the Haryana police. A team of the Punjab police will go to the sect's headquarters, about 300 km from here, to arrest the godman. If the arrest doesn’t happen before July 1, Punjab police will have to approach the court for a fresh warrant.

Khalsa March sends ‘apology’ for a six; next Sikh conclave on July 11 in Haryana

After marathon meeting, Jathedars find it was only a press note, not apology
AMRITSAR: Three days after the Sikh sangat made its sentiments clear with a vociferousKhalsa March, the Sikh high priests led by Akal Takht jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti virtuallydismissed the so-called new apology, said it is merely a press note and does not even explainwhy Dera Sauda’s Gurmeet Ram Rahim imitated the tenth Sikh Master, nor promised that it willnot be repeated. When asked whether it amounted to rejection of the apology, Vedanti said, “Thisis no apology, it is merely a press note.” The ‘apology’ was mediated by Delhi Sikh GurdwaraManagement Committee president Paramjit Singh Sarna.Jathedar Vedanti also called for a ‘Sabha’, a sort of Sikh sammelan, on July 11 at Ratia in Haryana. He said the clergy will be consulting several panthic bodies in India and abroad before formulating its final view about the next step in tackling deravaad and Sirsa issue.Earlier this morning, SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar delivered the sealed envelope, contentsof which were worst-kept secret, to the high priests. The high priests remained closetted forhours before Vedanti came out with the decision. Soon after the high priests met on Wednesday morning (India time), they refused to meet a delegationof Khalsa Action Committee led by Bhai Daljit Singh, following which the KAC distributed a two-page note to the media. Later, as the high priests seemed to have reviewed their decision and agreed to meet the KAC panel, the latter had already left the venue.Jathedar Vedanti had cut short his Canada tour, reaching here late Tuesday night, to participate in the meeting. Representatives of Akali Dal (Amritsar), Guru Gobind Singh Study Circle and other panthic bodies also met the clergy. In its two-page memo, the KAC said as per the Gurmata of May 17 issued at Sri Damdama Sahib, the Sirsa dera and its chief has joined the ranks of Minas, Dhirmalias, Ramrayiyas and nakli Nirankaris and an apology is worth considering only when it comes from a feeling of true repentance. It reiterated its conditions for accepting the apology as shunning the name ‘Sacha Sauda’, stopping misuse of bani and bana, misuse of Sikh lexicon, slogans, imitation of panj pyaras, and the jaam-e-insa drama.Among the clerics closetted were, apart from Vedanti, Giani Iqbal Singh of Patna Sahib, Jathedar Tarlochan Singh of Takht Kesgarh Sahib, Jathedar Balwant Singh Nandgarh of Takht Damdama Sahib and Bhai Jiwanjot Singh, representative of Jathedar of Sri Huzur Sahib, Nanded.ENROUTE DINA KANGAR TO TAKHT DAMDAMA SAHIB: Notwithstanding the appeals made by Sikh clerics and ignoring the fact that the Delhi Gurdwara Management Committee president Paramjit Singh Sarna was more involved in ‘managing’ an apology from the Dera Sauda than preparing to lead the Khalsa March he had himself helped plan, the overwhelming response to the march received from the Sikh sangat on Sunday left no one in doubt that the panth continues to be enraged by the antics of the Dera Sauda irrespective of semantic word play of apologies. The way Jathedar Balwant Singh Nandgarh was hackled was enough indication of the sentiments of the Sikh sangat.As enthusiastic youth participation surprised even the organizers of the march from Gurdwara Dina Kangar to Takht Damdama Sahib, Talwandi Sabo, and crowds of thousands comprised the kilometres long march, indications were clear that Akali Dal president and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal will have to do better than what the government has done so far in moving against the Dera Sacha Sauda.The huge success of the march has also cast a shadow now on the June 27 meeting of the Sikh clergy where the so-called new apology of the Dera Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim, so far in a sealed envelope, is to be considered. It is a different matter that the apology made it to the media hours after Sarna handed it over to SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar.Before the start of the march, Sant Samaj leaders and Sikh hardliners, including former Akal Takht Jethedar Jasbir Singh Rode, Baba Ranjit Singh Dhandrian Wale, Daljit Singh Bittu, Gurdeep Singh Brar, SAD (A) activists Barinder Singh Mann and Gursewak Singh Jawahar Ke, delivered fiery speeches against the Sirsa-based sect. They said the KAC campaign against the Dera and to win all Sikhs back to the main fold would continue regardless of the Sikh clergy's decision to be announced on June 27 regarding the "fresh apology" tendered by the Dera. Akal Takht jathedar Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti is cutting short his visit abroad to preside over the June 27 meeting but in the light of the expression of Sikh sentiments through the Sunday’s march, accepting the apology has become a very difficult prospect. At Takht Damdama Sahib, Jathedar Nandgarh came out to receive the march and honour the Panj Piaras with "siropas", but was jeered at by many in the sangat. The police had a tough time saving him from the wrath of angry youth. Among the key leaders leading the march were Bhai Daljit Singh of Akali Dal (Amritsar), Kanwarpal Singh of Dal Khalsa, former Akal Takht jathedar Bhai Jasbir Singh Rode, Mohkam Singh of Damdami Taksal, former ambassador Harinder Singh Norway, Paramjit Singh Gazi, SGPC member Karnail Singh Panjoli etc. The Akali Dal and the SGPC remained away from the march, and by all available accounts, the officialdom is worried about the success of the march. Some amount of expression of rage was also witnessed in the sloganeering during the march though the leaders, including Bhai Daljit Singh of Akali Dal (Amritsar) and Bhai Kanwarpal Singh of Dal Khalsa ensured total control over the cadres.The police had put in certain obstacles at Salabatpura where the Dera Sacha Sauda’s cult largest premises is located but the marchers flung aside the obstacles and continued with their march in a peaceful fashion. The government had spilled hundreds of jawans of Punjab Police and paramilitary forces like the CRPF and the Rapid Action Force besides the Army.There were many a nervous moments for the administration which had made massive security arrangements. Police had wanted the Khalsa March to be diverted from village Jalal towards Bhai Roopa village but its plans remained just that. Enraged youth broke down the barriers at Dayalpura village and took to the Dullewal village road which goes perilously close to the Salabatpura dera. At one stage, the police became dumbstruck and the senior officers seemed utterly confounded. Bathinda SSP Naunihal Singh himself led the naka on the Rampura-Salabatpura road. Ignoring the route charted out by the administration via Jalal Nathana, the protesters removed barricades of earth-filled tractor-trailers near Nawan Dialpura village to pass through Dullewala (a stone's throw from the Salabatpura dera), Bhai Rupa, Rampura Phul, Mandi Kalan, Ram Nagar and Maur Mandi to reach Talwandi Sabo. Another challenge for the security personnel was near the Dera's "nam charcha ghar" in Ramnagar village. It was at this stage that the leadership role played by Bhai Daljit Singh, Kanwarpal Singh and Jasbir Singh Rode ensured that the cadre remained under control.Sangat came out in huge numbers from not only Bathinda but also Moga, Barnala, Mansa and Faridkot apart from other places. Slogans in favour of Khalistan, militancy and late Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale were also raised by a few groups.Protesters also raised slogans against Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and Takht Damdama Sahib Jathedar Balwant Singh Nandgarh. They accused them of attempting to sabotage the "Khalsa march". Patiala Range IG M K Tiwari, Faridkot Range DIG Dr Jatinder Jain, Deputy Commissioner Rahul Bhandari, SSP Naunihal Singh, and officers of the paramilitary forces remained present and invariably on tenterhooks.The marching sangat braved the heat, walking, driving, sitting on tractor-trolleys, cars, jeeps and riding mobikes and scooters, all behind the palanquin carrying Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji at the head of the march. The Khalsa March started at 11.30 am and concluded at Damdama Sahib at 7 pm.Nearly 800 to 1,000 vehicles comprised the march which was several kilometres long. Chabeels of sweetened water punctuated the entire route of the march from Gurdwara Dina Kangar in Moga to Takht Damdama Sahib in Talwandi Sabo. The tussle over the route had earlier continued till Saturday late night between the panthic leaders and the administration. Panthic leaders gave clear indications that the show of strength which was witnessed during the march will be repeated on June 27th at the Akal Takht. Indications were also clear that if the 'sealed envelope' apology turns out to be the same as published in the newspapers, it won't be accepted. Leaflets were distributed which talked of making the preaching of Shabad Guru as the main thrust area. These also talked of winning back the misguided Sikhs who have dithered towards the Dera Sacha Sauda and other deras. It also talked of enlarging the struggle's scope by saying not only the Dera Sauda but also rest of the guru-doms and dera-vaadis will be targeted.

Punjab govt gives sanction to arrest dera Sacha Sauda chief

CHANDIGARH: Punjab government on Wednesday gave permission to Punjab police to arrest dera Sacha Sauda chief Baba Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh against whome a Bathinda court had on June 20 issued arrest warrants.
Punjab police had sought prior permission of state government to arrest dera chief whose headquarter is located in Sirsa in Haryana. Bathinda police has booked dera head in a blasphemy case. He has been accused of hurting the religious sentiments of Sikh community.
The Bathinda court had asked the police to execute the arrest warrants before July 1 with prior permission of state government.
The permission to arrest dera chief has came hours after the Akal Takht rejected second apology tendered by dera Sacha Sauda. The Sikh high priests have said that dera chief was not sincere to apologise for his sin.
The Akal Takht has already directed the dera Sacha Sauda to close down all its centers in Punjab and also gave a call to Sikhs to boycott the dera chief and his followers. The Akal Takht had earlier rejected first apology of dera which was addressed to Guru Gobind Singh.

Akal Takht rejects dera Sacha Sauda apology for second time

AMRITSAR: The Sikh high priests on Wednesday rejected the second "apology" submitted by dera Sacha Sauda and announced to hold a Sikh conclave in Ratia town in Haryana to press for arrest of the dera head Baba Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh.
The Sikh clergy which held its meeting at Akal Takht in Amritsar for more than six hours expressed shock over arrogant behaviour of dera head and said that dera authorities have issued a "press note" instead giving proper apology. The Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti in a written statement said that dera head had not expressed any remorse for the sin he had committed and neither gave an assurance not to repeat the same in future.
Paramjit Singh Sarna president of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee has claimed to have mediated to bring the fresh apology from dera. He also faced wrath of Khalsa Action Committee for allegedly hobnobbing with dera Sacha Sauda. The action committee has summoned a meeting on June 29 to consider action against Sarna.
The Sikh clergy had on May 29 last rejected an earlier apology of dera seeking pardon from Guru Gobind Singh. The fresh "apology letter' issued by dera Sacha Sauda has been amended to seek an apology from Guru Gobind Singh and the Sikh community. The letter didn't carry the signatures of dera chief.The large number of hardliner Sikhs were present outside the Akal Takht who demanded nothing less than arrest of dera head who has been accused of blasphemy. Vedanti blamed Haryana government for not taking any action against dera head and instead giving him z plus security. He said that Sikhs would hold a conclave at Ratia on July 11 to pressurise Haryana government to take action against dera chief.He called upon the Sikhs to continue to bouycott the dera chief and his followers. He said that to evolve a broad consensus on the issue, the views of Sikhs living in Indian and abroad would be taken. The confrontation between dera Sacha Sauda and Sikh community had started on May 13 last when dera head Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh appeared in newspaper advertisements attired in dress alike of Guru Gobind Singh. The dera had organised a congregation on May 14 at dera Salabatpur in Bathinda district to 'baptise' dera followers on the pattern of Guru Gobind Singh had done on April 13,11699 to lay foundation of Khalsa panth. This led to clash between Sikhs and dera followers.A Bathinda court on June 20 last had issued arrest warrants of Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh in a case registered against him for hurting the religious sentiments of Sikhs. The arrest warrants are valid till July 1. As per the condition of the court, the Punjab police has sought state government's permission to arrest dera head. It is expected that state government would grant the permission and onus of arresting dera head would be shifted on Congress Government in Haryana.

No easy way to arrest Dera Sacha Sauda chief

Chandigarh, The latest move by Akali Dal-led Punjab government Wednesday night, allowing the police to arrest the Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh, can only worsen the relationship between Sikh hardliners and Dera followers.
The Dera chief - who lives in a sprawling mini-city on the outskirts of Sirsa town in neighbouring Haryana, 300 km from here - is unlikely to give in easily when the policemen try to arrest him.
A Bathinda court issued the arrest warrant June 20. A month before that, the police had registered a case, accusing the Dera chief of hurting religious sentiments of Sikhs.
The warrant is valid till July 1. The sect chief plans to visit Uttar Pradesh and other states during the next three days.
The Punjab police will have to depend on the willingness of their colleagues in Haryana to carry out the arrest.
Before the Punjab government gave the sanction for the arrest, Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had ducked the question of helping the Punjab police. He had described the question as 'hypothetical'. Now it has become very real, and will probably trouble Hooda quite a bit.
Thousands of sect members who have gathered in Sirsa are likely to physically oppose the arrest of Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh. The sect has over two million followers in Punjab and Haryana. If they turn violent, the two states may see a repeat of the May incidents, when there was widespread violence and arson in the wake of the controversy.
While the Sikh community has maintained its tough stand on the controversy that erupted after the Dera head portrayed himself like the tenth Sikh guru Gobind Singh, Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh himself has perhaps not done enough to resolve the controversy.
He has apologised to the Sikh clergy twice, but both apologies have been interpreted as reluctant. They clearly fell short of the conditions laid down by the Sikh religious leaders.
The ruling Akali Dal is obviously annoyed with the Dera chief, who had sided openly with the Congress in the last assembly election. But the Punjab government cannot wish him away. He has a large following in the state, especially among the poor.
The average resident of Punjab and Haryana can only wait and watch in trepidation as the possibility of violence becomes more real all the time.


Sikh Leader Falsely Charged With Sedition

On June 2nd, 2007, Daljit Singh Bittu, senior vice- president of the Sikh political party Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), was charged with sedition by police from Fategharh Sahib District, in the state of Punjab, India.Mr. Bittu has been falsely charged.The events leading to the charge against Mr. Bittu are as follows:On May 31st, Mr. Bittu participated in a march protesting government refusal to curb the criminal activities and religious offenses of the Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) organization. The lawful march lasted just one kilometer as participants marched from one gurdwara (Sikh place of worship) to another. Although some passionate participants shouted the slogan "Khalistan Zindabad" in reference to the desired independent Sikh nation, the entire march was peaceful.Two days later, Mr. Bittu was charged with sedition for taking part in the march. He committed no crime. He did not participate in violence, as the entire march was peaceful. He also did not participate in the shouting of pro-Khalistan slogans.The crime of sedition is clearly defined under Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). This code forbids exciting or attempting to excite disaffection towards the Indian government, but it also says that "comments expressing disapprobation of the measures of the government with a view to obtain their alteration by lawful means...do not constitute an offense." In short, it is not seditious to peacefully make comments strongly disapproving of government policies. This is exactly what Mr. Bittu, who has publicly and peacefully criticized government inaction regarding DSS, has done.Even if Mr. Bittu had shouted slogans alongside the other participants, which by all reports he did not, he still would have committed no crime. The Indian Supreme Court ruled in Balwant Singh vs. State of Punjab [AIR (1995) SC 1785] that the mere public use of the slogan "Khalistan Zindabad" is not illegal, saying: "It appears to us that the raising some slogans only a couple of times by the two lonesome appellants, which neither evoked any response nor any reaction from any one in the public can neither attract the provisions of Section 124A or of Section 153A IPC."Besides sedition, Mr. Bittu could only be charged with speaking his mind and participating in a public assembly. Yet these are basic, fundamental rights of the people under Article 19, Clauses (1)(a) and (1)(b) of the Indian Constitution, which guarantee the right "to freedom of speech and expression" and "to assemble peaceably and without arms."The Indian government has a history of harassing Mr. Bittu for peacefully and publicly addressing grievances. In 2006, he protested the seizure of 376 acres of farmland by the government of Punjab and spoke to a group of affected farmers. He was then arrested and charged with sedition, and ultimately released on bail. U.S. congressman Edolphus Towns said of that case: "Mr. Bittu spoke out against the acquisition of the land of poor farmers by Punjab on behalf of private business firms. We have had cases in this country where the government has taken land by eminent domain for private usage, Mr. Speaker, and no one ever gets arrested for speaking out against it." Mr. Bittu has been arrested several other times for protesting government policies and served many years in prison for a variety of false charges, many of which have been dropped for lack of evidence.While Mr. Bittu’s arrest has been stayed until June 25, he has been directed to participate in all investigations and remains charged with sedition.In conclusion, Mr. Bittu has not done anything that can be legitimately considered a crime under U.S., international, or Indian law. In what is just one more incident of Indian government suppression of basic human rights, Mr. Bittu is being harassed solely for his dedication to promoting liberty through peaceful means.We urge the U.S. government to pressure India to drop charges against Mr. Bittu in the interest of the international promotion of democracy and basic human rights, including the rights to freedom of speech and self-determination.
Please contact the following agencies to urge that charges against Mr. Bittu be dropped:Indian Embassy2107 Massachusetts Avenue, NWWashington, DC 20008Phone: (202) 939-7000Fax: (202) 265-4351U.S. EmbassyShantipath, ChanakyapuriNew Delhi - 110021Phone: 011-2419-8000Fax: +91-11-2419-0017

Latest Breaking News from Punjab: Wednesday 27th June 2007

Dera Head Boycott 2 jathedars against edict withdrawal

Amritsar, The ongoing mediation efforts to resolve Sikh-Dera Sacha Sauda impasse may suffer a big jolt even as Giani Iqbal Singh and Giani Jotinder Singh , Jathedars of Patna Sahib and Hazoor Sahib have said previous “gurmatta” passed by the Sikh high priests, calling for boycott of Dera Sacha Sauda chief, won't be withdrawn at any cost.
The strict stand taken by Jathedars of two takhts has put the mediators in a fix. themdiators had promised the Dera Sacha Sauda chief that they would prevail upon the Sikh clergy to withdraw the “gurmatta” in case Dera Sacha Sauda tendered fresh apology to the Sikh Panth.
Talking to The Tribune here today, Jathedar Iqbal Singh made it clear that the “gurmatta” once pronounced from a takht could not be withdrawn. He, however, said the proposed meeting of Sikh high priests to be held at Akal Takht Secretariat, here tomorrow would discuss only the contents of the fresh apology letter submitted by Dera Sacha Sauda . “We won’t go beyond the apology letter”, he said .
Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti and Giani Tarlochan Singh, Jathedar Akal Takht and Kesgarh Sahib, are coming by Indian Airlines flight late tonight after cutting short their visit to Canada, to participate in the proposed meeting of the Sikh clergy.
Meanwhile, the SGPC has put its Task Force on high alert as a preventive measure. Police in mufti would also be deployed outside Akal Takht complex.
Earlier, on May 20, the Sikh high priests had heard the representatives of various Sikh organisations before passing “gurmatta”, rejecting the apology tendered by Dera Sacha Sauda.
However, sources maintained that Jathedar Vedanti is under tremendous pressure to accept the fresh apology. On the other hand , the hardliners have taken a tough stand on this issue.
An emergency meeting of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), held at Khanna said if Jathedars would accept the fresh apology letter against the wishes of Sikh masses then they would reject their decision.

KAC Appointed Five Member Sub-Committee for June 27 Meeting

The Khalsa Action Committee held a meeting on 26 June at Chadigarh and appointed a five member sub-committee to present KAC view on fresh apology by dera sauda, before Sri Akaal Takht. Bhai Daljit Singh Bittu, S. Kanwarpal Singh Bittu, S. Harinder Singh Norway, S. Mohkam Singh and S. Gurtej Singh (IAS) are members of this Sub-committee.

Sikh clergy to meet Wednesday to decide on dera apology

AMRITSAR: The five Sikh High priests are meeting on Wednesday At Akal Takht in Amritsar to discuss the fresh apology sent by dera Sacha Sauda but Sikh clergy seems in no mood to bail out dera chief Baba Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh who is accused of blasphemy.
Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Joginder Singh vedanti who is returning from Canada tonight has Tuesday morning shot off a statement from Canada stating that Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh arrogant, mischievous and cunning. Vedanti in his statement called upon asked all the Sikh organizations to assemble on single platform to tackle present ongoing the situation.
According to the secretariat of Akal Takht tomorrow the meeting of Sikh clergy would be held in view of the latest development, which arose after the second and fresh apology letter sent to Akal Takht by the Dera Sacha Sauda. The draft was sent to Akal Takht through the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee president Paramjit Singh Sarna.
Meanwhile, elaborate security arrangements were being made around the Akal Takht and Golden Temple by the city police. SGPC is also deploying adequate strength of Task Force inside the Golden Temple and around the Akal Takht in view of the tomorrow's meeting. It is expected that large number of hard liner Sikhs would assemble in the Golden Temple complex to build pressure for not exonerating the dera chief.
A Bathidna court on June 20 had issued arrest warrant against , Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of Sikhs. A case under section 295 A has been registered against dera chief who appeared in an advertisement, attired like Guru Gobind Singh on May 13 and later during a congregation on May 14 last. The violence had erupted in Punjab following the May 14 incident.
The Sikh clerics had given call for social, religious and political boycott of dera chief and his followers. The Akal Takht on May 30 last had rejected an earlier apology tendered by the dera chief.
The radical Sikh organisations have been demanding immediate arrest for the dera Chief and they had also organised protest march on June 24 to press for their demand.
It is expected that Sikh clergy may not accept the second apology of dera Chief since it has not been signed by Baba Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh. The apology letter is issued by dera management. The only improvement in the text of the apology is that dera has sought apology from Sikh community along with Guru Gobind Singh.

Latest Breaking News from Punjab - Tuesday 26th June 2007

Khalsa Chetna marchers booked

Bathinda, A case has been registered against several persons, who raised anti-national slogans and distributed inflammatory material during the Khalsa Chetna March yesterday.
A case has been registered Sections 124(a) and 153(a) and 153 (b) of the IPC for anti-national activities and instigation against unidentified persons at Talwandi Sabo police station on the complaint of assistant sub -inspector Mohan Singh who was on duty there yesterday.
The peosons will be identified and traced from the video films and photographs of the march, the police said. Though the procession was peaceful, slogans in favour of ‘Khalistan’ and Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale were raised, to which the police had objected earlier.

Sarna to send dera chief’s apology to PM

Amritsar, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) chief Parmjit Singh Sarna will send the original “fresh apology letter” of Dera Sacha Sauda, along with a forwarding letter, to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who had reportedly evinced keen interest in resolving the Sikh-Dera Sacha Sauda row, tomorrow mentioning his (Sarna’s) mediation efforts to resolve the deadlock.
Talking to The Tribune today, the DSGMC president claimed that Parkash Singh Badal had “complained” to the Prime Minister and Delhi’s Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit that he (Sarna) was creating hurdles in the way of a peaceful solution to the row. He said Dikshit called him (Sarna) in her office and sought his good offices to resolve the row. This was the background that Sarna was nominated convener of the Khalsa Action Committee (KAC) to help resolve the Sikh-Dera impasse.
Sarna said he was first approached by three dera functionaries, headed by Ram Karn Singh, and offered mediation on May 17. He accepted the mediation on the pre-condition of a clear-cut apology by Dera Sacha Sauda to the Sikh Sangat. However, for many days there was no word from the dera due to the strict pre-conditions. Later, a new panel of dera functionaries approached the DSGMC chief on June 11 and a meeting was arranged at the residence of a rich Sikh industrialist of New Delhi, who is close to both Badal and Sarna, in the presence of Harminder Singh Jassi, a Congress MLA from Bathinda anb close relative of Dera Sacha Sauda chief.
Sarna claimed that he took Baba Sukhchain Singh and Bhai Jasbir Singh Rode, former Jathedar of Akal Takht, and some senior members of the KAC into confidence before giving any word to the dera functionaries. However, he said after lot of efforts he was succeeded in getting the draft of apology approved in which the dera apologised to Guru Gobind Singh and the Sikh Panth for its alleged blasphemous act. Sarna claimed that SGPC chief Avtar Singh, too, appreciated his mediation efforts and approved the draft.
Now, the fresh apology on the official letter-head of the dera would be opened at a meeting of Sikh high priests who would meet here on June 27. However, it would be practically difficult for the Jathedars to accept the fresh apology in toto since the 14-member KAC, comprising Sikh hardliners, would assemble at the Akal Takht secretariat to compel the Sikh clergy to implement its own directive of May 20 in which they had called upon the Sikh masses to help in uprooting the cult of Dera Sacha Sauda.
Meanwhile, a meeting of the KAC has been convened at Jalandhar for June 29 to discuss the role of Sarna.

False Charges against Bhai Daljit Singh Bittu

On June 2nd, 2007, Daljit Singh Bittu, senior vice-president of the Sikh political party Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), was charged with sedition by police from Fategharh, Farrukhabad District, in the state of utter Pradesh, India.Mr. Bittu has been falsely charged.The events leading to the charge against Mr. Bittu are as follows:On May 31st, Mr. Bittu participated in a march protesting government refusal to curb the criminal activities and religious offenses of the Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) organization. The lawful march lasted just one kilometer as participants marched from one gurdwara (Sikh place of worship) to another. Although some passionate participants shouted the slogan “Khalistan Zindabad” in reference to the desired independent Sikh nation, the entire march was peaceful.Two days later, Mr. Bittu was charged with sedition for taking part in the march. He committed no crime. He did not participate in violence, as the entire march was peaceful. He also did not participate in the shouting of pro-Khalistan slogans.The crime of sedition is clearly defined under Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). This code forbids exciting or attempting to excite disaffection towards the Indian government, but it also says that "comments expressing disapprobation of the measures of the government with a view to obtain their alteration by lawful means...do not constitute an offense." In short, it is not seditious to peacefully make comments strongly disapproving of government policies. This is exactly what Mr. Bittu, who has publicly and peacefully criticized government inaction regarding DSS, has done.Even if Mr. Bittu had shouted slogans alongside the other participants, which by all reports he did not, he still would have committed no crime. The Indian Supreme Court ruled in Balwant Singh vs. State of Punjab (1995) that the mere public use of the slogan "Khalistan Zindabad" is not illegal, saying: "It appears to us that the raising some slogans only a couple of times by the two lonesome appellants, which neither evoked any response nor any reaction from any one in the public can neither attract the provisions of Section 124A or of Section 153A IPC."Besides sedition, Mr. Bittu could only be charged with speaking his mind and participating in a public assembly. Yet these are considered rights of the people under Article 19, Clauses (1)(a) and (1)(b) of the Indian Constitution, which guarantee the right "to freedom of speech and expression" and "to assemble peaceably and without arms."The Indian government has a history of harassing Mr. Bittu for peacefully and publicly addressing grievances. In 2006, he protested the seizure of 376 acres of farmland by the government of Punjab and spoke to a group of affected farmers. He was then arrested and charged with sedition, and ultimately released on bail. U.S. congressman Edolphus Towns said of that case: "Mr. Bittu spoke out against the acquisition of the land of poor farmers by Punjab on behalf of private business firms. We have had cases in this country where the government has taken land by eminent domain for private usage, Mr. Speaker, and no one ever gets arrested for speaking out against it." Mr. Bittu has been arrested several other times for protesting government policies and served many years in prison for a variety of false charges, many of which have been dropped for lack of evidence.While Mr. Bittu’s arrest has been stayed until June 25, he has been directed to participate in all investigations and remains charged with sedition.In conclusion, Mr. Bittu has not done anything that can be legitimately considered a crime under U.S., international, or Indian law. In what is just one more incident of Indian government suppression of basic human rights, Mr. Bittu is being harassed solely for his dedication to promoting liberty through peaceful means.We urge the U.S. government to pressure India to drop charges against Mr. Bittu in the interest of the international promotion of democracy and basic human rights, including the rights to freedom of speech and self-determination.
Please contact the following agencies to urge that charges against Mr. Bittu be dropped:Indian EmbassyPhone: (202) 939-7000Fax: (202) 265-43512107 Massachusetts Avenue, NWWashington, DC 20008U.S. EmbassyShantipath, ChanakyapuriPhone: 011-2419-8000Fax: +91-11-2419-0017

Punjab Sikhs take out procession for arrest of dera Chief

BATHINDA: Hundreds of Sikhs under the aegis of Khalsa Action Committee on Sunday took out a peaceful protest march seeking the arrest of Dera Sacha Sauda chief - Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh.
The Sikhs began the march from the historic Gurdwara Zafar Nama, Dina Sahib in Moga district to Damdami Sahib in Bathinda's Talwandi Sabo as tight security arrangements were made along its route.
The hardliner Sikh bodies took out the procession despite SGPC appeal not to take out the procession because state government was trying legal means to arrest the Baba. Paramjit Singh Sarna president of Delhi Sikh Gurdawara Management Committee(DSGMC) who was initially teamed with Khalsa Action Committee didn't particiapate in today's march since he had also appealed to cancel the march in light of fresh apology sent by dera Sacha Sauda. Sarna had mediated in managing fresh apology.
The procession was peaceful. Elaborate security arrangements had been made by the Punjab police and central paramilitary forces along its 120-km route. The marchers will reach Damdama Sahib later in the evening.
Police diverted the procession from its planned route through the village of Salabatpura, 35 km from here, where the biggest campus of the Dera in Punjab is located.
A Bathinda court had last week issued non-bailable arrest warrants against the Dera chief after the Punjab police sought the same on the basis of a May 20 case registered against him here. He is accused of hurting the religious sentiments of Sikhs.
The Sikh-Dera controversy started on May 14 after the Dera chief attired himself like 10th Sikh guru Gobind Singh. This led to protests from the Sikh community. The Akal Takht - highest temporal seat of Sikhism - ordered that the godman and his followers be boycotted by all Sikhs.Violence also marked the controversy.
The Haryana government had also made elaborate security arrnagements around the dera Sacha Sauda in Sirsa.
Those leading the march, including Jasbir Singh Rode, Daljit Singh Bittu, co-convenor of the Committee and Bhai Mohkam Singh, spokesman of Damdami Taksal, have appealed to the participants to maintain peace and not to raise any kind of slogans. The protestors were scheduled to pass through Kangar, Salabatpura, Bhai Roopa, Rampura Phul, Mandi Kalan and Ram Nagar before reaching Talwandi Sabo, a temporal seat of the Sikhs. The route of the march however was changed to bypass Salabatpur where dera Sacha Sauda center is located.

Latest Breaking News from Punjab: Monday 25th June 2007

Khalsa march held amid tight security

Moga, Several Sikhs under the banner of the Khalsa Action Committee took out a procession here today demanding the arrest of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for his ‘blasphemous act’ of appearing in an attire akin to that of the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh.
Several Sikh organisations, both hardliners as well as moderates, participated in the procession from Gurdwara Zafar Nama, Dina Sahib to Damdami Sahib in Bathinda’s Talwandi Sabo.
Jasbir Singh Rode, former jathedar of Akal Takht, said: “Thousands of protestors participated in the march from Gurudwara Dina Sahib to Talwandi Sahib. The world should know that Sikhs will not allow anyone to hurt their religious sentiments. No one should ever think of coming at par with the Sikh Gurus. This is a peaceful march to expresses our grievances”.
Tight security arrangements were made along the procession route passing through Kangar, Bhai Roopa, Rampura Phul, Mandi Kalan and Ram Nagar, besides Punjab’s largest camp of Dera sect in Salabatpura.
The procession organisers had appealed to the participants to maintain peace and not raise slogans.
The organisers went against the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbhandhak Committee (SGPC) chief Avtar Singh’s appeal to defer plans till the SGPC took a decision over Dera chief’s apology.
Clashes between Sikhs and the Dera sect erupted after the publication of an advertisement showing sect leader Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh dressed up in clothes similar to those worn by Guru Gobind Singh.
The Sikhs took offence and termed it as ‘blasphemous’. Skirmishes between rival groups flared into mob violence when the Akal Takht — the top body of Sikh clergies — urged the community to boycott the sect.
The sect leader denied any wrongdoing and tendered an apology, saying he had absolutely no intention to imitate or replicate the Sikh guru. The Sikh clergy however, rejected the apology.

Chetna march held amid tight security

Bathinda, Hundreds of Sikh activists today reached here, after traversing about 120 km with great enthusiasm amid tight security, to press their demand for the arrest of Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for allegedly hurting Sikh religious sentiments.
The much-publicised Khalsa Chetna March from Gurdwara Zafar Nama Dina Sahib in Moga to Damdama Sahib at Talwandi Sabo here passed off peacefully, without any untoward incident, SSP Bathinda Naunihal Singh said.
The organisers, Khalsa Action Committee, later resolved to participate in the July 27 meeting of the Sikh Sangat at Shri Akal Takht in Amritsar where action on the new apology letter from the dera chief would be taken.
However, the organisers, also declared that if they were not satisfied with the decision of the June 27 meeting, they would hold their own meeting at Jalandhar on June 29 and chart their own course of action against the dera and its chief, the SSP said.
The committee had, however, accepted the administration’s appeal today to avoid marching close to Salabatpura, the main Dera Sacha Sauda centre in Punjab, and took a slight detour from the scheduled route.
According to sources, the organisers also agreed to call the march Khalsa Chetna March instead of Khalsa march on the request of the administration and urged the participants not to raise slogans or carry arms at the march.

Processionists refuse ‘siropas’ from Nandgarh

Bathinda, Sikh radicals, who led the march here, refused to accept ‘siropas’ from Takht Damdama Sahib chief Balwant Singh Nandgarh because he appealed to them to defer the protest till Wednesday.
As soon as the march entered the gurdwara, the Jathedar of Gurdwara Damdama Sahib (one of five Sikh temporal seats) tried to honour the Sikh radicals with ‘siropas’ but the precisionists refused to accept these and, instead, raised slogans against him.

Sikh groups march for Dera chief's arrest

Ignoring an appeal by SGPC to defer their march, several Sikh organisations and around 50, 000 sikhs took out a procession on Sunday, demanding arrest of the Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, charged with hurting religioussentiments of the community.
The Sikhs under the aegis of Khalsa Action Committee began the march from the historic Gurdwara Zafar Nama, Dina Sahib to Damdami Sahib in Bathinda's Talwandi Sabo as tight security arrangements were made along its route.
The procession, which included both hardliners and moderates of the community, would pass through Salabatpura,which houses the largest Dera of Sacha Sauda in Punjab.
Earlier, the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbhandhak Committee chief Avtar Singh had appealed to the organisers to defertheir proposed march till Monday. But the Khalsa Action Committee - comprising leaders of various Sikh religiousgroups - decided to go ahead with its programme.
Those leading the march, including Jasbir Singh Rode, Daljit Singh Bittu, co-convenor of the Committee and BhaiMohkam Singh, spokesman of Damdami Taksal, have appealed to the participants to maintain peace and not to raise any kind of slogans.
The protestors were scheduled to pass through Kangar, Salabatpura, Bhai Roopa, Rampura Phul, Mandi Kalan and Ram Nagar before reaching Talwandi Sabo, a temporal seat of the Sikhs.

Sikh Panth: Arrest Dera chief

Chandigarh, : Khalistani activists within the newly-formed Khalsa Action Committee led more than 2,000 Sikhs in a 65-km protest march in Punjab on Sunday to reiterate their demand for the arrest and prosecution of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, spiritual head of the Dera Sacha Sauda, a multi-religion sect headquartered in Haryana’s Sirsa town.
The hardliners are demanding that the Parkash Singh Badal government in Punjab must immediately move to arrest the Dera chief for hurting Sikh religious feelings by attempting to imitate the 10th Guru, Gobind Singh. Newspaper advertisements on May 14 had depicted the Dera chief as what many Sikhs view a likeness of their guru.
The hardliners, who had issued the call for Sunday’s protest, insisted that Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh must be arrested in accordance with a hukumnama (religious edict) issued by the Akal Takht, Sikhism’s highest religious and temporal authority. They pointed out that the jathedar of the Takht had rejected the apology tendered by the Dera chief a fortnight ago, and that the new, reworded apology purportedly tendered by him was yet to be perused by the five high priests.
The march from Deena Kangar near Moga to the historic Sikh shrine of Damdama Sahib at Talwandi Sabo began with repeated chants of pro-"Khalistan" and "Bhindranwale zindabad" slogans despite the presence of scores of heavily-armed Punjab Police personnel. In fact, the entire route of the march was literally lined with khaki — more than 3,500 riot-ready policemen commanded by senior officers, including the zonal inspector general.
But despite the visible anger of the protesters, the march was completely peaceful. No attempt was made to attack or damage Sacha Sauda properties along the route and the Dera premises at Salabatpura, which had witnessed a dangerous standoff between Sacha Sauda followers and Sikhs only last month, was deliberately excluded from the route taken by the protesters on Sunday.
Interestingly, while the demonstrators said they had voluntarily excluded Salabatpura, local police officials claimed to reporters that they had diverted the procession to pre-empt possible violence.
The Punjab government, meanwhile, appears to have adopted a wait-and-watch approach with regard to the renewed controversy surrounding Sacha Sauda and its chief. Though the Bhatinda police had sought permission to execute the non-bailable arrest warrants against Gurmeet Ram Rahim two days ago, the state home department is yet to respond.
The chief minister and his colleagues are understood to be awaiting Akal Takht Jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti’s return from his Canadian trip. The jathedar, who is expected to be back in the country on Monday, will give his verdict on the Dera chief’s new apology after a meeting with the other four high priests on Wednesday.
It is widely expected that the Akal Takht will adopt a more conciliatory approach this time.

Khalsa March Successful

Khalsa March was held from Gurudwara Lohgarh (Dina Sahib) to Takht Sri Damdama Sahib on its decided route. Sikh Sangat took part in large number inspite of many hurdels raised by Police, Government and other forces.

Sangat Participated - Socalled Leaders Did Not

Sikh Sangat Participated in Khalsa March in large number but traditional political and religious leadership did not. Badal Dal, Delhi Committee, SGPC and Jathedars did not participated in march. Baba Harnam Singh and Parmjit Singh Sarna too did not participated in March.

Members of Khalsa Action Committee who Paticipated
Bhai Daljit Singh Bittu, S. Kanwarpal SIngh, S. Parmjit Singh Gazi, S. Jasbir Singh Rode, Bhai Mohkam SIngh, S. R.P. Singh, S. Jagdish Singh Jhinda, S. Sukhchain Singh Dharmpura, S. Karnail Singh Panjoli participated in march.

20,000 brave heat and machinations to join Khalsa March

Success of March dims prospects of acceptance of apology

Led by the Panj Piaras, the Sikh Chetna March organized by the Khalsa Action Committee reaches Takht Sri Damdama Sahib in Bathinda on Sunday. The Khalsa March as it began from Gurdwara Dina Kangar early on Sunday after an ardas. The march was aimed at raising awareness about self-styled gurus and babas like Dera Sacha Sauda. Many such babas have been exposed on Indian RV channels often. The Dera head had enraged the Sikh community by imitating the tenth Sikh Guru, something no one had done in over 300 years. Now he is reeling of apology after apology but Sikhs are totally unsatisfied. The dera head, also a murder accused, is counted among top security-requiring people by Indian government.
The Khalsa March continued to pass as the RPF jawans, part of Indian paramilitary forces, looked on, on its way to Talwandi Sabo. The participants seemed in rage, but kept absolute control on the ranks. The march was totally peaceful. -- A WSN Photo
Notwithstanding the appeals made by Sikh clerics and ignoring the fact that the Delhi Gurdwara Management Committee president Paramjit Singh Sarna was more involved in 'managing' an apology from the Dera Sauda than preparing to lead the Khalsa March he had himself helped plan, the overwhelming response to the march received from the Sikh sangat on Sunday left no one in doubt that the panth continues to be enraged by the antics of the Dera Sauda irrespective of semantic word play of apologies.

As enthusiastic youth participation surprised even the organizers of the march from Gurdwara Dina Kangar to Takht Damdama Sahib, Talwandi Sabo, and crowds of thousands comprised the kilometres long march, indications were clear that Akali Dal president and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal will have to do better than what the government has done so far in moving against the Dera Sacha Sauda.

The huge success of the march has also cast a shadow now on the June 27 meeting of the Sikh clergy where the so-called new apology of the Dera Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim, so far in a sealed envelope, is to be considered. It is a different matter that the apology made it to the media hours after Sarna handed it over to SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar.

Akal Takht jathedar Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti is cutting short his visit abroad to preside over the June 27 meeting but in the light of the expression of Sikh sentiments through the Sunday's march, accepting the apology has become a very difficult prospect.

Among the key leaders leading the march were Bhai Daljit Singh of Akali Dal (Amritsar), Kanwarpal Singh of Dal Khalsa, former Akal Takht jathedar Bhai Jasbir Singh Rode, Mohkam Singh of Damdami Taksal, former ambassador Harinder Singh Norway, Paramjit Singh Gazi, SGPC member Karnail Singh Panjoli etc. The Akali Dal and the SGPC remained away from the march, and by all available accounts, the officialdom is worried about the success of the march.

Some amount of expression of rage was also witnessed in the sloganeering during the march though the leaders, including Bhai Daljit Singh of Akali Dal ( Amritsar) and Bhai Kanwarpal Singh of Dal Khalsa ensured total control over the cadres.


The police had put in certain obstacles at Salabatpura where the Dera Sacha Sauda's cult largest premises is located but the marchers flung aside the obstacles and continued with their march in a peaceful fashion. The government had spilled hundreds of jawans of Punjab Police and paramilitary forces like the CRPF and the Rapid Action Force besides the Army.

Police had wanted the Khalsa March to be diverted from village Jalal towards Bhai Roopa village but its plans remained just that. Enraged youth broke down the barriers at Dayalpura village and took to the Dullewal village road which goes perilously close to the Salabatpura dera. At one stage, the police became dumbstruck and the senior officers seemed utterly confounded. Bathinda SSP Naunihal Singh himself led the naka on the Rampura-Salabatpura road.

It was at this stage that the leadership role played by Bhai Daljit Singh, Kanwarpal Singh and Jasbir Singh Rode ensured that the cadre remained under control.

Sangat came out in huge numbers from not only Bathinda but also Moga, Barnala, Mansa and Faridkot apart from other places.

Patiala Range IG M K Tiwari, Faridkot Range DIG Dr Jatinder Jain, Deputy Commissioner Rahul Bhandari, SSP Naunihal Singh, and officers of the paramilitary forces remained present and invariably on tenterhooks.

The marching sangat braved the heat, walking, driving, sitting on tractor-trolleys, cars, jeeps and riding mobikes and scooters, all behind the palanquin carrying Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji at the head of the march.

Nearly 800 to 1,000 vehicles comprised the march which was several kilometres long. Chabeels of sweetened water punctuated the entire route of the march from Gurdwara Dina Kangar in Moga to Takht Damdama Sahib in Talwandi Sabo.

The tussle over the route had earlier continued till Saturday late night between the panthic leaders and the administration.

Panthic leaders gave clear indications that the show of strength which was witnessed during the march will be repeated on June 27th at the Akal Takht.
Indications were also clear that if the 'sealed envelope' apology turns out to be the same as published in the newspapers, it won't be accepted.

Leaflets were distributed which talked of making the preaching of Shabad Guru as the main thrust area. These also talked of winning back the misguided Sikhs who have dithered towards the Dera Sacha Sauda and other deras. It also talked of enlarging the struggle's scope by saying not only the Dera Sauda but also rest of the guru-doms and dera-vaadis will be targeted.

False charges against Bhai Daljit Singh Bittu Vice President SAD A

On June 2nd, 2007, Daljit Singh Bittu, senior vice-president of the Sikh political party Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), was charged with sedition by police from Fategharh, Farrukhabad District, in the state of utter Pradesh, India.Mr. Bittu has been falsely charged.The events leading to the charge against Mr. Bittu are as follows:On May 31st, Mr. Bittu participated in a march protesting government refusal to curb the criminal activities and religious offenses of the Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) organization. The lawful march lasted just one kilometer as participants marched from one gurdwara (Sikh place of worship) to another. Although some passionate participants shouted the slogan “Khalistan Zindabad” in reference to the desired independent Sikh nation, the entire march was peaceful.Two days later, Mr. Bittu was charged with sedition for taking part in the march. He committed no crime. He did not participate in violence, as the entire march was peaceful. He also did not participate in the shouting of pro-Khalistan slogans.The crime of sedition is clearly defined under Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). This code forbids exciting or attempting to excite disaffection towards the Indian government, but it also says that "comments expressing disapprobation of the measures of the government with a view to obtain their alteration by lawful means...do not constitute an offense." In short, it is not seditious to peacefully make comments strongly disapproving of government policies. This is exactly what Mr. Bittu, who has publicly and peacefully criticized government inaction regarding DSS, has done.Even if Mr. Bittu had shouted slogans alongside the other participants, which by all reports he did not, he still would have committed no crime. The Indian Supreme Court ruled in Balwant Singh vs. State of Punjab (1995) that the mere public use of the slogan "Khalistan Zindabad" is not illegal, saying: "It appears to us that the raising some slogans only a couple of times by the two lonesome appellants, which neither evoked any response nor any reaction from any one in the public can neither attract the provisions of Section 124A or of Section 153A IPC."Besides sedition, Mr. Bittu could only be charged with speaking his mind and participating in a public assembly. Yet these are considered rights of the people under Article 19, Clauses (1)(a) and (1)(b) of the Indian Constitution, which guarantee the right "to freedom of speech and expression" and "to assemble peaceably and without arms."The Indian government has a history of harassing Mr. Bittu for peacefully and publicly addressing grievances. In 2006, he protested the seizure of 376 acres of farmland by the government of Punjab and spoke to a group of affected farmers. He was then arrested and charged with sedition, and ultimately released on bail. U.S. congressman Edolphus Towns said of that case: "Mr. Bittu spoke out against the acquisition of the land of poor farmers by Punjab on behalf of private business firms. We have had cases in this country where the government has taken land by eminent domain for private usage, Mr. Speaker, and no one ever gets arrested for speaking out against it." Mr. Bittu has been arrested several other times for protesting government policies and served many years in prison for a variety of false charges, many of which have been dropped for lack of evidence.While Mr. Bittu’s arrest has been stayed until June 25, he has been directed to participate in all investigations and remains charged with sedition.In conclusion, Mr. Bittu has not done anything that can be legitimately considered a crime under U.S., international, or Indian law. In what is just one more incident of Indian government suppression of basic human rights, Mr. Bittu is being harassed solely for his dedication to promoting liberty through peaceful means.We urge the U.S. government to pressure India to drop charges against Mr. Bittu in the interest of the international promotion of democracy and basic human rights, including the rights to freedom of speech and self-determination.

Please contact the following agencies to urge that charges against Mr. Bittu be dropped:Indian EmbassyPhone: (202) 939-7000Fax: (202) 265-43512107 Massachusetts Avenue, NWWashington, DC 20008U.S. EmbassyShantipath, ChanakyapuriPhone: 011-2419-8000Fax: +91-11-2419-0017.

UK scraps plan to raise Sikh regiment

London, Britain has abandoned plans to raise an exclusive regiment of British Sikhs on the ground that it would be seen as a move encouraging racial segregation, a media report said on Sunday.
Despite the British infantry being short of 3,000 soldiers, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) rejected the idea after discussions with Britain's Commission for Racial Equality (CRE), which argued that creating a Sikh regiment would be divisive and amounted to segregation.
"We would not support any policy that seeks to isolate specific groups in the armed forces or wider society," a CRE spokesperson was quoted as saying by the Telegraph.
“The creation of a separate regiment according to ethnicity would be segregation, which amounts to discrimination under the Race Relations Act. Anything that creates separation between regiments can only have a detrimental effect upon our Armed Forces' operational effectiveness,” the spokesperson added.
Ironically, last year, the armed forces were ordered to meet tough targets to recruit more men and women from ethnic minorities.
The decision on Saturday was criticised by politicians, members of the Sikh community and soldiers, who claimed that the army had fallen victim to political correctness. — IANS

Latest Breaking News from Punjab : Sunday 24th June 2007

Tension abounds as Khalsa Action Committee's march due

Sarna, Nandgarh pull back, Bhai Daljit Singh, Kanwarpal Singh, others dig in

SALABATPURA/DINA KANGAR: Punjab continues to be sitting on a dynamite as far as tensions at the grassroot level are concerned, and in a few hours, the Khalsa Action Committee's much awaited march will be on the way, criss-crossing the disturbed terrains of Malwa.
Flag marches across Malwa have become so routine that they now figure only on the inside pages of newspapers, the Khalsa Action Committee is adamant on taking out the march against the Dera Sauda from Gurdwara Dina Kangar in Moga to Takht Damdama Sahin in Talwandi Sabo and the tussle between the panthic leaders and the administration continues about the route of the march which almost touches Salabatpura, the epicentre of volcanic reaction in Punjab to the antics of Gurmeet Ram Rahim.
But also keeping pace is the sad part of the news trickling in, something almost symptomatic of many a Sikh struggle. It is about intra-fraternity differences. Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Commitee president Paramjit Singh Sarna has pulled out of the Khalsa March, Takht Damdama Sahib jathedar Balwant Singh Nandgarh has asked that it be postponed and a split seems fast emerging between the Sarnas and rest, which include Bhai Daljit Singh of Akali Dal (Amritsar), Kanwarpal Singh of Dal Khalsa, Mohkam Singh of Damdami Taksal and others.
The SGPC has also asked that the march be posponed, the move seemingly the first indication that the unity under the larger umbrella of the Akal Takht could be lost due to any poor handling now on part of the clergy. Akal Takht jathedar Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti is cutting short his trip to Canada and a meeting has been scheduled for June 27 to discuss the apology in a sealed envelope. (Interestingly, most of the contents of the sealed envelope have already spilled out in Punjab newspapers, again indicating poor and smudgy handling of the issue).
Sarna is believed to be taking a line that he has achieved the best that could have been achieved by extracting the apology from the Dera Sauda. However, most panthic leaders (read, other than those belonging to the camp of Parkash Singh Badal) are not particularly enthused by the apology's wording. Once again, the apology is not signed by Gurmeet Ram Rahim.
The panthic lobby is especially peeved with Nandgarh for his changed version. Initially, Nandgarh had emerged as one of the most outspoken critics.
On its part, the Khalsa Action Committee (KAC) has declared it would go ahead with the planned agitation. While Jathedar Nandgarh claimed he had asked the Khalsa Action Committee to defer the march in view of Akal Takht Jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti's appeal against agitations without approval from the clergy but supporters of the protest said it was a move by the Parkash Singh Badal government to scuttle their plans.
Dal Khalsa general secretary Kanwarpal Singh said they had planned the June 24 March with the consent of Jathedar Vedanti. "Moreover, Jathedar Nandgarh, with whom we discussed the plan thrice, had initially agreed to participate. His U-turn is only an indication that he has issued his appeal at Badal's behest," he said.
SAD (Amritsar) deputy chief Bhai Daljit Singh said the planned agitation could not be deferred. "We have made all preparations for the protest march and any decision to defer it would be detrimental to the interests of the community." Damdami Taksal spokesman Mohkam Singh said instead of issuing appeals to defer the march, Jathedar Nandgarh should in fact lead it.
The SGPC and the Takht Damdama Sahib Jathedar seem to have taken it upon themselves to scuttle the protest march. SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar has appealed that the movement against the Dera be toned down after the new apology and also suggested that the march be postponed.
Meanwhile, SAD (Amritsar) leaders and activists are reported to have gone underground to evade possible arrest ahead of the June 24 march.
The Haryana Front:
The Haryana government has stepped in to check the frequent conflicts occurring between the two sides over the "nam charcha" service in villages. While on one hand columns of the state police, Rapid Action Force (RAF) and the Border Security Force (BSF) on June 22 staged a flag march in various villages to restore confidence among people and provide a deterrence to violent ele ments, on the other a 32-member peace committee constituted by the Sirsa administration, which met on June 23, was mandated to visit all trouble-hit villages and other potential hotspots over the next three days to impress upon the Premis (Dera followers) and Sikhs to maintain communal harmony.
A district official said: "We will also try and constitute village-level peace committees to further the process. The idea is to involve more and more people and persuade them to maintain claim. They can approach the district administration in the event of a problem," said. The peace committee comprising people from various sections of society and four district officials will start travelling in small groups from tomorrow morning to spread the message of peace and harmony.
The state government, which has been under strain to maintain law and order in the district ever since Sikhs went up in arms over the blasphemous acts of Dera head Gurmeet Ram Rahim, has made it a priority to restore public order. The concern is not without reason as officials fear the incidents of violence in Haryana could shift the focus of the controversy to that state.
Much of the tension over "nam charcha" has remained concentrated on the Haryana side than in Punjab. In Sirsa, too, most clashes have taken place in villages close to Punjab. "Villages in the Jogewala-Odhan-Lakkranwali-Pucca belt, which are closer to Punjab, have been the hotspots. And those are the areas the peace committees are going to focus on," sources say.
For the readers of the WSN, this is what the sealed envelope awaiting the return of Akal Takht jathedar contains:
The Dera Sacha Sauda organisation believes in all religions (Sarv-dharma) and respects them. To help build character, to help people shun non-vegetarian food and narcotics, to help remove differences of religion, caste etc and to inculcate self-less love are the objectives of this organisation. Sant Ji says that leave aside imitation of Sarbansdani Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj or equating with him, he cannot even think of such a thing. The developments of the last few days are a subject of concern and the misunderstandings emerging from that are extremely regrettable. In the interests of the humanity, we seek forgiveness from True Rehbar of Roohaniyat, Satguru Sarbansdani Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji and the Guru Panth. May the peace and mutual harmony prevail in Punjab, Haryana and desh-videsh, such is our wish!

QUESTIONS LEFT UNANSWERED:
1. Will the Dera chief stop his Jaam-e-Insa programs? The apology provides no answer, and a program is scheduled this week at Sirsa again.
2. Why was the meeting with the representatives of Dera held in a hush-hush manner?
3. Paramjit Singh Sarna was a member of the Khalsa Action Committee. Why did he not take the KAC into confidence while maintaining direct links with the Dera? Why did he not take permission of any of the clerics for this?
4. Why was the house of the Police SSP chosen as a meeting place?
5. Why did the Dera representatives not face the media and sneaked out in the night from the SSP's residence?
6. What prompted sudden somersault by Jathedar Balwant Singh Ji Nandgarh?
7. If the issue is of such prominence, why was it not possible for someone to open the envelope, and read out the contents to Jathedar Vedanti who could then have confabulated with other clerics or any leaders? In this age of 'new-age' communications, what impression does it convey of the highest leadership of the community? Weren't other clerics capable of opening the envelope and read and discuss what the apology contained?
8. Do we not have a situation where Sarna and the dera men, and a police SSP, knows what the Akal Takht jathedar and the Sikh quom, and best panthic leaders do not know?
9. Does anyone believe that Parkash Singh Badal does not know the contents of the sealed envelope?
10. Why is the Akali Dal silent on the opne support of Congress to the Dera head on the floor of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha in the ongoing session?

Sikh groups begin march for Dera chief's arrest

Moga (Punjab): Ignoring an appeal by SGPC to defer their march, several Sikh organisations today took out a procession, demanding arrest of the Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, charged with hurting religious sentiments of the community.
The Sikhs under the aegis of Khalsa Action Committee began the march here from the historic Gurdwara Zafar Nama, Dina Sahib to Damdami Sahib in Bathinda's Talwandi Sabo as tight security arrangements were made along its route.
The procession, which included both hardliners and moderates of the community, would pass through Salabatpura which houses the largest Dera of Sacha Sauda in Punjab.
Earlier, the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbhandhak Committee chief Avtar Singh had appealed to the organisers to defer their proposed march till tomorrow. But the Khalsa Action Committee - comprising leaders of various Sikh religious groups - decided to go ahead with its programme.
Those leading the march, including Jasbir Singh Rode, Daljit Singh Bittu, co-convenor of the Committee and Bhai Mohkam Singh, spokesman of Damdami Taksal, have appealed to the participants to maintain peace and not to raise any kind of slogans. The protestors were scheduled to pass through Kangar, Salabatpura, Bhai Roopa, Rampura Phul, Mandi Kalan and Ram Nagar before reaching Talwandi Sabo, a temporal seat of the Sikhs.

False Charges against Bhai Daljit Singh Vice President Shiromani Akali Dal Amritsar

On June 2nd, 2007, Daljit Singh Bittu, senior vice-president of the Sikh political party Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), was charged with sedition by police from Fategharh, Farrukhabad District, in the state of utter Pradesh, India.Mr. Bittu has been falsely charged.The events leading to the charge against Mr. Bittu are as follows:On May 31st, Mr. Bittu participated in a march protesting government refusal to curb the criminal activities and religious offenses of the Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) organization. The lawful march lasted just one kilometer as participants marched from one gurdwara (Sikh place of worship) to another. Although some passionate participants shouted the slogan “Khalistan Zindabad” in reference to the desired independent Sikh nation, the entire march was peaceful.Two days later, Mr. Bittu was charged with sedition for taking part in the march. He committed no crime. He did not participate in violence, as the entire march was peaceful. He also did not participate in the shouting of pro-Khalistan slogans.The crime of sedition is clearly defined under Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). This code forbids exciting or attempting to excite disaffection towards the Indian government, but it also says that "comments expressing disapprobation of the measures of the government with a view to obtain their alteration by lawful means...do not constitute an offense." In short, it is not seditious to peacefully make comments strongly disapproving of government policies. This is exactly what Mr. Bittu, who has publicly and peacefully criticized government inaction regarding DSS, has done.Even if Mr. Bittu had shouted slogans alongside the other participants, which by all reports he did not, he still would have committed no crime. The Indian Supreme Court ruled in Balwant Singh vs. State of Punjab (1995) that the mere public use of the slogan "Khalistan Zindabad" is not illegal, saying: "It appears to us that the raising some slogans only a couple of times by the two lonesome appellants, which neither evoked any response nor any reaction from any one in the public can neither attract the provisions of Section 124A or of Section 153A IPC."Besides sedition, Mr. Bittu could only be charged with speaking his mind and participating in a public assembly. Yet these are considered rights of the people under Article 19, Clauses (1)(a) and (1)(b) of the Indian Constitution, which guarantee the right "to freedom of speech and expression" and "to assemble peaceably and without arms."The Indian government has a history of harassing Mr. Bittu for peacefully and publicly addressing grievances. In 2006, he protested the seizure of 376 acres of farmland by the government of Punjab and spoke to a group of affected farmers. He was then arrested and charged with sedition, and ultimately released on bail. U.S. congressman Edolphus Towns said of that case: "Mr. Bittu spoke out against the acquisition of the land of poor farmers by Punjab on behalf of private business firms. We have had cases in this country where the government has taken land by eminent domain for private usage, Mr. Speaker, and no one ever gets arrested for speaking out against it." Mr. Bittu has been arrested several other times for protesting government policies and served many years in prison for a variety of false charges, many of which have been dropped for lack of evidence.While Mr. Bittu’s arrest has been stayed until June 25, he has been directed to participate in all investigations and remains charged with sedition.In conclusion, Mr. Bittu has not done anything that can be legitimately considered a crime under U.S., international, or Indian law. In what is just one more incident of Indian government suppression of basic human rights, Mr. Bittu is being harassed solely for his dedication to promoting liberty through peaceful means.We urge the U.S. government to pressure India to drop charges against Mr. Bittu in the interest of the international promotion of democracy and basic human rights, including the rights to freedom of speech and self-determination. Please contact the following agencies to urge that charges against Mr. Bittu be dropped:Indian EmbassyPhone: (202) 939-7000Fax: (202) 265-43512107 Massachusetts Avenue, NWWashington, DC 20008U.S. EmbassyShantipath, ChanakyapuriPhone: 011-2419-8000Fax: +91-11-2419-0017

Bitta’s plea

Amritsar, The Akal Takht should accept the apology tendered by the Dera Sacha Sauda chief to maintain peaceful atmosphere in the state.
This was stated by president of the All-India Anti-Terrorist Front Maninderjit Singh Bitta here today. Bitta said a conference of representatives of all religions should be convened and a committee constituted to look into the causes of religious conversions in the Malwa belt during the past 15 years.
He said he was not against deras but whenever these played into the hands of political parties, the peaceful atmosphere in the state got vitiated.

Sant Samaj, radicals reject apology

Moga, Directions of the SGPC to cancel the proposed Khalsa protest notwithstanding, the Sant Samaj and radical Sikh organisations have reiterated their resolve to take out the march.
At a meeting organised at Gurdwara Bibi Kahan Kaur here today, the Sant Samaj categorically rejected the second apology tendered by Dera Sacha Sauda chief Sant Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. It said the march would be held as per the announced plan.
Earlier, president of the SGPC Avtar Singh had asked the Khalsa Action Committee to cancel the march to maintain law and order in the state.
The meeting was held under the leadership of Baba Resham Singh Kukharana. He said they did not accept the manner in which the dera head had tendered the apology. It reflected his arrogance, Kukharana said, adding that the dera head must physically appear before the Akal Takht to apologise.

Panel against show of swords, lathis during march Khalsa march to avoid Salabatpura dera

3,500 cops to ensure peace
Around 3,500 security personnel have been deployed while 30 nakas have been set up on the route of the march.

Bathinda, We will not advance towards the Salabatpura dera of the Sacha Sauda sect during the Khalsa march to be taken out tomorrow from Dina Kangar to Takht Sri Damdama Sahib, Talwandi Sabo.
This was stated by Bhai Jasbir Singh Rode (SAD-1920) and Bhai Mohkam Singh (Damdami Taksal), both members of the Khalsa Action Committee that has planned the march, in reply to a question here today. They said the march would be taken out in a peaceful manner.
They appealed to the Sikh sangat not to brandish swords, “gandasas” and lathis during the march and raise provocative slogans as Sri Guru Granth Sahib would be accompanying the march with Panj Piaras leading it.
To dispel apprehensions of violence during the march, members of the committee and the Sant Samaj Bhai Mohkam Singh, Bhai Jasbir Singh Rode, Sant Sukhchain Singh Dharampura, Sant Buta Singh Gurthali Wale and Baba Baljit Singh Daduwal held meetings with the DIG, Faridkot range, Dr J.K. Jain and Bathinda SSP Naunihal Singh here.
Bhai Mohkam Singh said they told the administration that the sangat would take part in the march and chant “Satnam Waheguru” while maintaining discipline.
Bhai Jasbir Singh Rode said there were no differences in the committee over the march. The route of the march would remain unchanged. Any decision on the apology letter sent by the Dera Sacha Sauda chief would be taken by five high priests.
Bhai Rode and Bhai Mohkam Singh said they wanted Jathedar of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib Balwant Singh Nandgarh, president of the SGPC Avtar Singh and president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee Paramjit Singh Sarna to join the march.

Chetna March not Protest March

Sikh organisations, including radical bodies, have agreed to change the name of their "awareness" march here after persuasion by the authorities.
An hour-long meeting between the organisations and police officials, including the DIG and SSP, led them to change the "Khalsa protest march" to the "Khalsa Chetna march" The organisations' heads also agreed on not taking any kind of weapon with them and not shouting any slogans.
However, the organisers refused to change the route of the march, which will pass about one-and-half kilometres from the Dera Salabatpura, which was attacked by Sikh protestors on May 17. Among the leaders present at the talks were Bhai Jasvir Singh Rode, former jathedar Akal Takht, Bhai Mohkam Singh of Damdami Taksal, Sant Sukhchain Singh Dharampura, Sant Buta Singh Gurthari, and Gurdeep Singh.
Senior Superintendent of Police Naunihal Singh, when contacted, said talks were still on with marchers and police were fully prepared to maintain law and order at all costs. "We have stationed as many as 3,700 personnel on the route for the march and no one will be allowed to move towards Salabatpura with evil intentions. However, talks are on to convince the protesors to change the route," he said.
The march will start at 0930 hours from Gurudwara Dina Sahib Kangar and end on reaching Talwadi Sabo in the evening at around 1700 hours.
SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar and Jathedar Balwant Singh Nandgarh had appealed to the protestors to defer the march and wait for the decision of the Akal Takht on the apology submitted by the Dera Sacha Sauda chief Guru Ram Rahim Singh on June 20.

Khalsa March begins amid tight security

Hundreds of Sikh activists today began the much-publicised 120-km Khalsa march from Gurdwara Zafar Nama Dina Sahib here to Damdama Sahib at Talwandi Sabo in the neighbouring Bathinda district amid tight security to press for the arrest of Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh for allegedly hurting Sikh religious sentiments.
At least 2000 Sikh devotees assembled at 1115 hrs at Gurdwara Zafar Nama Dina Sahib for the 'ardas' after which a 200-vehicle strong cavalcade carrying the leaders and representatives of various parties left for Damdama Sahib, led by Panj Payaras and a decorated tractor trolly carrying the 'Palki' with the holy Guru Granth Sahib.
According to the organisers, with whom the administration held several meetings, to the march was purely a religious one and a 'symbolic reply the ''sacrilegious act of Dera Sacha Sauda head in trying to emulate the 10th Sikh Guru Gobind Singh''.
The march was organised by the Khalsa Action Committee, a group representing by hardliner and moderate Sikh organisations including Sant Samaj, Shiromani Akali Dal Amritsar , Shiromani Akali Ravinder Singh (1920), set up to counter ''the Dera Sacha Sauda threat and implement the edict of Akal Takht''.
Bhai Jasbir Singh Rode, acting Akal Takht Jathedar, Daljit Singh Bittu co-convenor Khalsa Action Committee, Bhai Mohkam Singh, spokesman Damdami Taksal, Gurdeep Singh Bathinda General Secretary Akali Dal 1920, Sant Buta Singh, Karnail Singh Panjoli, Kanwarpal Singh Khalsa and Harinder Singh ex MP Norway were prominent among those who joined the march.
Daljit Singh Bittu and Bhai Jasbir Singh Rode alleged that though a consesus had been arrived on the route late last night with Inspector General Police M K Tiwari and they had assured the administration that it would be a peaceful affair, the police put up numerous 'nakas', (police checkpost), causing inconvenience to the participants.
The Punjab police even put up nakas in Jagraon area and at Harike bridge and checked people from Majha and other parts which delayed the procession, they said. However, police officials observed that 'nakas' were erected simply to check the entry of undesirable elements with weapons and denied allegations that people were harassed.
Meanwhile, Convenor of Khalsa Action Committee and President of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Committee Paramjit Singh Sarna, who was instrumental in getting an apology letter from Gurdwara Sacha Sauda head for the Akal Takht, was conspicuous by his absence. Before the start of the march, almost all the speakers appealed to participants not to raise any slogan in the presence of Guru Granth Sahib in the palki, not to carry any firearms and maintain peace, as requested by the administration.
According to sources, the organisers also agreed to call the march Khalsa Chetna March instead of Khalsa march on the request of the administration. However, they refused to avoid Salabatpur and insisted on marching past the main Dera Sacha Sauda Centre in Punjab. In view of this, the Inspector General Police M K Tiwari, along with other officials, had conducted a survey of the area to ensure that the march passed off peacefully. More than 4,000 police and para military forces personnel were deployed, he said.

Police seeks govt’s nod to arrest dera head

Chandigarh, Trouble for Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has increased, with the police seeking the Punjab government’s approval to arrest him for hurting the religious sentiments of the Sikhs.
Acting on a court order, the Bathinda police has sent an application to the government seeking sanction to prosecute the dera head, Bathinda police chief Naunihal Singh told PTI over the phone here today.
A court in Bathinda had on May 20 issued a conditional non-bailable warrant against the head of Sirsa-based sect.
On an application moved by the police seeking an arrest warrant against the dera head, the court had observed that the police would have to seek prior permission from the government before the prosecution of the dera head.
However, the state government is yet to decide on the police application, which is pending with the principal secretary (Home), chief secretary R.I. Singh said.
The order of the Bathinda court has to be executed by July 1.

Exclusive report on Jhoota Sauda

Since mid-May, Punjab has been torn by violence inspired by the spiritual organization Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS). Dera Sacha Sauda

The DSS is based in the town of Sirsa, in Haryana, India, which borders the Indian state of Punjab. It terms itself a "non-profit spiritual organization" and claims to have over 10 million followers, and 36 branches in 11 States, including Rajasthan, Punjab, Gujarat, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. It was founded in 1948, and is currently headed by Gurmeet Singh (also know as "Maharaj"). The organization purports to be non-profit and to refuse donations. However, it has many followers who work the fields of its ashrams, with the income from the produce of the fields going to the organization. This income likely funds Gurmeet Singh's preferred mode of transportation, which is "a fleet of Mercedes cars, protected by up to 25 bodyguards." Attack on Sikhi Approximately two weeks ago, DSS printed an advertisement featuring Gurmeet Singh. This advertisement, coupled with other activities of DSS, demonstrate a deliberate and extremely offensive attempt to copy Sikhi. Specifically, it attempts to copy the creation of "Khalsa," the orthodox manner of Sikhi instituted by the tenth and final Sikh Guru, Gobind Singh. It does this in several ways. First, Gurmeet Singh appears dressed in the style of Guru Gobind and seated in "Bir Asaan," the style of seating used by Guru Gobind during the creation of Khalsa. This seating style is still used during Amrit Sanskar, the ceremony in which a Sikh is initiated into Khalsa. According to Jagtar Singh of the Sikh Federation, "Impersonating a Sikh guru always runs the risk of outraging even the most moderate of Sikhs." Second, Gurmeet Singh is portrayed distributing Jaam-e-Insaan, an attempted copy of the Amrit (or nectar) used in Amrit Sanskar. Amrit Sanskar is a vital ceremony in Sikhi. This is when a Sikh is publicly baptized into pure Sikhi and takes the surname "Singh" (or "lion") to denote equality with others in the community. This distribution of Jaam-e-Insaan is also a copy of Khande di Pahul, where nectar is prepared. According to Sikhi, since Guru Gobind only "Panj Pyaras" have the authority to prepare Amrit, which they must do in the presence of Guru Granth Sahib (the Sikh holy book)while following a prescribed method. Third, Gurmeet Singh includes a list of "Rules for Humanity" in his advertisement. This is an undeniable attempt to copy the "Rahatnamas" (or "Codes of Conduct") of Sikhi which were instituted by Guru Gobind. While Gurmeet Singh's list of rules are all very similar to those in Sikhi, what is most offensive is his attempt to copy Guru Gobind by issuing such a list. Fourth, Gurmeet Singh ordered his followers to adopt the name "Insaan" (or "human"), in a copy of Guru Gobind's admonition to adopt the name "Singh" (or "Kaur" for women) after Amrit Sanskar. Thus Gurmeet Singh has attempted to copy the unique creation of Khalsa by creating Insaan. DSS has also attempted to copy and offend Sikhs and even other religious groups in several other ways not included in the recent advertisement. Just as Guru Gobind taught the importance of "Panj" (or "five"), so Gurmeet Singh has copied this concept by using "Sat" (or "Seven"). Dr. Adyita Insaan, the spokesman of DSS, has equated Gurmeet Singh to Sikh Gurus Gobind Singh and Har Krishan, as well as to Ramachandra, a Hindu god. Additionally, DSS deceptively uses the symbols of the four main religions in India to attract followers: the Sikh Ek Onkar, the Muslim Star and Crescent, the Hindu Om, and the Christian Cross. In summary, DSS has created an amalgam religion which primarily attempts to copy Sikhi and is offensive to Sikhs and those of many other religions. Under Indian law, this deliberate offense is illegal. Indian Penal Code 295a reads: "Whoever, with deliberate and malicious intention of outraging the religious feelings of any class of [citizens of India], [by words, either spoken or written, or by signs or by visible representations or otherwise], insults or attempts to insult the religion or the religious beliefs of that class, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to [three years], or with fine, or with both.]" Other Criminal Activities In a December, 2002 letter to then Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a female member of DSS accused Gurmeet Singh of sexually exploiting his "Sadhvis," or female followers. The anonymous author of the letter, whose family urged her to become a "Sadhvi," says: "Two years after I became a 'Sadhvi', a special woman-disciple of Maharaj Gurmit Singh came to me one night at 10 o'clock and said that the Maharaj had summoned me to his room. I felt elated that Maharaj himself sent for me. I was going to him for the first time. After climbing the stairs, when I went into his room, I saw that he was holding a remote in his hand and was watching a blue [pornographic] film on the TV. Beside his pillow on the bed, lay a revolver.... He offered me water and said that he had called me because he considered me very close to him. This was my first experience. Maharaj took me in his embrace and said that he loved me from the core of his heart. He also said that he wanted to make love with me. He told me that at the time of becoming his disciple, I had dedicated my wealth, body and soul to him and he had accepted my offering. When I objected he said, 'There is no doubt that I am God.'" Gurmeet Singh then blackmailed the "Sadhvi" into having sex with him by threatening to kill her and her family. She claims that many other Sadhvis are regularly raped by Gurmeet Singh, saying that her time comes "every 25-30 days." She says other Sadhvis who have tried to reveal their sexual exploitation have been threatened, beaten, and even maimed. This letter inspired an investigation of the DSS by India's central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). On October 24, 2003 two men riding a motorcycle and claiming to be from DSS shot journalist Ram Chandra Chatrapati four times at point-blank range. Chatrapati was the editor of "Poora Sach" and had been investigating the recent charges of sexual exploitation by Gurmeet Singh. He died of his injuries a month later. Two men arrested on suspicion of Chatrapati's murder said they were DSS followers and had been sent on orders from Kishan Li, a senior DSS official, to kill Chatrapati because of his investigations. Sirsa District Deputy Commissioner D. Suresh says his office has also received multiple complaints about the Sirsa-based DSS allegedly being involved in the theft of land, drug distribution, and tax evasion. After the mid-May 2007 publication of the offensive DSS advertisement, many Sikhs in Punjab protested Gurmeet Singh's attempted copy of Guru Gobind. DSS followers retaliated, assaulting many Sikhs and injuring many of the police trying to calm the situation. Over 100 people were injured by DSS followers, many of them police. They also attacked fire personnel, set a police jeep on fire, and attacked a deputy commissioner's residence. Worst of all, Kamaljit Singh, a Sikh, was killed on May 17th by a bullet fired from inside a Sunam, Punjab DSS compound. Conclusion The son of murdered journalist Chatrapati, Anshul Chatrapati, has alleged that members of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) have urged Sonia Gandhi, president of the Indian Congress, to influence the CBI probe into DSS in favor of Gurmeet Singh out of respect for his strong support of the Congress in the recent elections. The recent transfer of the DSS case from CBI officer Dr. Armandeep Singh to Satish Dagger, which Anshul Chatrapati believes is an indication of government tampering in the ongoing investigation. He believes the PPCC entered into a deal with Gurmeet Singh prior to the elections in which the Congress would overlook his criminal activities if he urged his followers to support the Congress. This government interference in an objective investigation, coupled with the refusal to prosecute Gurmeet Singh under IPC 295a, places a large part of the blame for the DSS-inspired chaos in northern India on the shoulders of the Indian Government. India must diligently pursue the thorough investigation of Gurmeet Singh and his criminal activities. Additionally, India must charge Gurmeet Singh under IPC 295a in order to achieve both justice and peace in northern India.

Latest Breaking News from Punjab - Saturday 23rd June 2007

Apology Letter Sikh clergy likely to meet on June 27

Amritsar, Akal Takht is likely to hold a crucial meeting on June 27 here to discuss the fresh apology letter sent by Dera Sacha Sauda chief in a sealed envelop. The meeting of the Sikh high priests could not be held before June 24 - the date fixed for hardliners to take out the protest march - because Jathedar Vedanti had gone to Canada.
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had reportedly contacted Jathedar Vedanti on telephone in Canada and urged him to cut short his visit in the wake of the fresh apology letter. However, the jathedar conveyed that he could not reach Amritsar before June 26. He would again go to the USA after attending the meeting.
Sources said except for hardliners who are adamant to take out the march, most of the senior leaders of the SGPC, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee and SAD have expressed satisfaction over the contents of the fresh apology. Under such circumstances, the Sikh high priests may accept the apology on the condition that it should be signed by the dera chief. The SGPC chief has described the decision of hardliners regarding the march as violation of the directive issued by the Jathedars, Akal Takht, and Damdama Sahib.
In an another significant development, the Chief Minister talked to DSGMC chief Paramjit Singh Sarna on telephone to appreciate his mediation efforts.
On the other hand, district magistrate, Amritsar, Kahan Singh Pannu has imposed ban on the carrying of fire-arms and traditional weapons under Section 144 as a precautionary measure.

Maintain peace, groups urged

Moga, With a view to maintaining law and order in the district in connection with the Khalsa March on June 24, the police and civil administration held a meeting with the political, social and religious groups of the district here today.
The administration urged them to utilise their influence in keeping communal harmony.
It added that it had asked the participants of the march to follow the route announced by the administration, which meant skipping Salabatpur village. They also made a special request to the SGPC members present at the meeting to convince the participants to peacefully organise the march.

‘Cancel march’

Bathinda, With a view to maintaining law and order throughout the state, president of the SGPC Avtar Singh today asked the Khalsa Action Committee (KAC) to cancel its proposed protest march to be taken out on June 24.
The SGPC chief said members of the KAC should cancel their march as their leader Paramjit Singh Sarna had already dissociated himself from the march.
About the contents of the apology letter sent by Dera Sacha Sauda, the jathedar said he could not say anything about it as the envelope would be opened by the Jathedar of Akal Takht after his return from abroad.
Meanwhile, in a press note issued today Jathedar of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib Balwant Singh Nandgarh also appealed to the Sikh organisations to postpone the proposed march.
Jathedar Avtar Singh was here in connection with a meeting of the SGPC members of eight districts of the Malwa belt.
Meanwhile, ‘premis” of Dera Sacha Sauda today also submitted a memorandum, addressed to the Governor, here to stop the atrocities against them.

‘Amarinder behind disturbances’

Bathinda, President of the All-India Anti-Terrorist Front Maninderjit Singh Bitta today demanded a CBI inquiry to ascertain the alleged role of former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee Paramjit Singh Sarna in spoiling the peaceful atmosphere of the state with regard to the dera issue. He was here today to express views on the hot issue.
Bitta alleged that Amarinder Singh had encouraged the dera head to dress up like Guru Gobind Singh and also provoked Paramjit Singh Sarna to raise slogans for creating disturbances in the state.

SSF appeal to Sikhs to take part in June 24 march

FATEHGARH SAHIB; The Sikh Students Federation(SSF) has made an appeal to the Sikh Sangat to participate in 24 June Khalsa March in large number.
SSF President Parmjit Singh Gazi and General Secretary Hardev Singh Karnal said on Friday that the march shall be from historic place of Dian Sahib (Moga) to Takhat Sri Damdama Sahib through its' decided route. They said that this march is to spread awareness among Sikh Masses and is a step towards implementation of edicts of Sri Akaal Takht. Commenting on fresh apology letter sent by dera, Gazi said that Sri Akaal Takht Sahib Jathedar should continue with the traditions and should call a meeting of all Pathic Organizations and Sikh Sangat at Sri Akal Takhat. He said that any decision should be made only after such meeting. He said that SSF is of the opinion that any apology should not be accepted only if it is submitted after accepting the guilt and carries an assurance that it shall not be repeated.

Dera Chief agrees to peace proposal

Sirsa:In order to avoid confrontation with Sikh organisations, Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh today agreed to a proposal to confine the sect's prayer sessions to the homes of his followers in certain sensitive areas of the district.
The Dera chief gave this commitment to the members of a Peace Committee, formed by the district authorities, in view of the growing tension in some villages of the district following strong opposition of 'Nam Charcha' (prayer) sessions held at various Sacha Sauda centres.
Meanwhile, Inspector General of Police (Security) K K Mishra visited the Sacha Sauda Dera to assess the situation in the wake of the recent non-bailable arrest warrant issued by a Punjab court against the Dera chief. The members of the Peace committee met the Dera chief today and held deliberations with a 25-member Dera committee to devise ways and means to defuse tension between the two parties.
The Dera chief then directed his followers to confine the prayer sessions to their homes in the sensitive areas. Security was beefed up in the Sirsa district, with the arrival of two more contingents of the CRPF. Two companies of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) were already deployed in the district. A flag march was also conducted in the city by the personnel of the BSF, RAF and the Haryana Armed Police to instil confidence among the residents.

Latest Breaking News from Punjab Friday 22nd June 2007

Salabatpura sealed

Salabatpura (Bathinda), Dera Sacha Sauda in Salabatpura village was sealed by the police again to prevent any untoward incident during the protest march to be organised by the Khalsa Action Committee from Dina Kangar to Talwandi Sabo via this village on June 24.
As followers of the Sirsa- based Dera Sacha Sauda have started arriving here in small numbers, the police has been leaving nothing to chance to prevent violence between them and members of Sikh bodies organising the march.
Police sources said Border Security Force (BSF) personnel, who were providing security cover to the Dera premises, had been deployed to man the check points set up in a radius of 200 yards of the boundary wall of the Dera. Not only this, Salabatpura crossing check point, Jalal bus stand check point and Dulewala check point, which earlier were manned by thePunjab Police, had been handed over to the BSF.
The number of followers, who were inside the local dera premises, rose to 800 today from 500 three to four days ago. The authorities , which had allowed buses to ply from this village, had again ordered to discontinue it.

Sikh groups against bypassing Salabatpura

Moga, Even as the district administration has suggested a new route from Dina Sahib here to Damdama Sahib in Bathinda district for the proposed Khalsa protest march to be held on June 24, Sikh organisations are determined to take the earlier route, involving Salabatpura.
The district unit of SAD (A), headed by Simranjit Singh Mann, held a meeting at Gurdwara Bibi Kahan Kaur here today and resolved not to change the route of the march fixed earlier.
The new route, suggested by the administration, has villages Pakharwad, Raunta, Kaur, Singh Wala, skipping the Salabatpura link.
District president of the SAD (A) Harbans Singh Daudhar said they would follow the earlier route.

Assembly Session Excesses: CM’s offer for setting up panel

Chandigarh, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today gave an open offer to Congress MLA and leader of the opposition in the Punjab assembly Rajinder Kaur Bhattal to set up a five-member committee to bring in his notice any case of “ political vendetta” and police excesses.
“ I will immediately take remedial measures and action if any wrong has been done by the police or anyone else”, Badal said in the house, responding to the issue raised by Bhattal regarding police excesses and the registering of cases against Congress workers.
Bhattal said excesses against premis, followers of Dera Sacha Sauda, were being committed in the countryside, pro-“Khalistan” elements were trying to create trouble in the state, the law and order situation had deteriorated and Congress activists were being booked in false cases. She referred to the cases of certain dalits killed at various places, including Nurmahal, Majitha and Amritsar . She also referred to the case of a person whose ear was lopped off right in the presence of the police in Lambi, the home constituency of Badal. “ We will not tolerate the ‘Akalisation’ of the police and the administration”, she said.
Replying to the issue raised by Bhattal, Badal said that he was a politician who believed in minimising enmity with opponents. He asked the Congress MLAs to name any Congress leader who had been put behind bars. “ Our party is ready for a full discussion on this issue in the house”, he said.
Intervening at this stage, BJP MLA Jagdish Sahni said Congress leaders were now talking about former Congress MLA Jasbir Singh Dimpa. He urged the Congress MLAs to recall the activities of Dimpa during the tenure of the Amarinder Singh government. “ It was Dimpa’s rule from Amritsar to Jalandhar. He had hijacked the entire system. His writ used to run everywhere. He plied several buses without any permit. He used to grab property. He used to bully everyone. Now you are trying to defend Dimpa”, alleged Sahni, pointing towards the opposition benches.
Badal said he had been disturbed by the Nurmahal incident regarding the committing of suicide by three persons. “ I had told the SSP concerned to take action against those found guilty in this regard. The SHO was under suspension”, he said. “ No innocent person will be caught and no one involved in any crime will be spared”, Badal asserted. He sought the cooperation of the opposition to make the state better.

Sarna dissociates from march

Amritsar, Fissures have appeared in the Khalsa Action Committee (KAC) with its Convener Parmjit Singh Sarna, president Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) dissociating himself from the proposed protest march to be taken from Gurdwara Dina Kangar to Takht Damdama Sahib on June 24 .
As many as 35 members of the DSGMC today compelled Sarna to part from the hardliners, including Daljit Singh Bittu , Kanwarpal Singh and Mohkam Singh , vice-president SAD( Amritsar), a spokesmen of the Dal Khalsa and the Damdami Taksal respectively who are determined to take out Khalsa March in protest against blasphemous activities of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh .
The DSGMC members suggested to Sarna to wait for the decision of Akal Takht. The decision of Sarna has come as shot in the arm for the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal and the SGPC.
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal himself approached the Sant Samaj with a request not to take the extreme step since the state government was already making efforts to take legal action against the Dera chief.

Memorandum to SSP

Sangrur, A deputation of various Sikh organisations, led by SGPC member Nirmal Singh Gharachon and saint Buta Singh Gurthali Wale, today submitted a memorandum to the SSP in his office here, demanding the arrest of “killers” of Kanwaljit Singh.
The bodies also sought the release of Kulwinder Singh, Ravinder Singh and Ram Singh, who were allegedly implicated by the Sunam police in a false case. — TNS

Takht to decide on apology: SGPC chief

Fatehgarh Sahib, Chief of SGPC Avtar Singh said here today that the SGPC would follow whatever directives were issued by Akal Takht over the latest apology letter sent by the chief of Dera Sacha Sauda.
Speaking to the mediapersons at a local college, the SGPC chief said the SGPC wanted that the matter should be resolved and peace be restored. He said the reaction of Akal Takht on the letter was likely to come within the next few days.

Sant Samaj has asked for the program to keep the protest against the jhootha sauda going from the Five Singh Sahibhan Jathedars

To disscuss apology Singh Sahibs five Jathedars will meet on the 27th

Khalsa March As Per Schedule

Members of Khalsa Action Committee has made it clear that program of holding Khalsa March is not effected by reports of fresh appology submitted by dera sauda on late evening of June 20. The march is scheduled to leave Dina Kangar for Takhat Sri Damdama Sahib on 24 June, 2007

Fresh Appology by Dera

News reports came that dera sauda has submitted fresh appology. This appology is beleived to be from Guru Panth. A sealed letter is handed over to SGPC President and DSGMC President by un-named dera followers. This letter is meant for Jathedar Sri Akaal Takhat Sahib. Earlier Jathedar Joginder Singh left for a foreign visit today, therefore more is expected to come clear in coming days only.


Conditional Arrest Warrant Against Dera Head


A Conditional Arrest Warrant Ordar has been issued by Bathinda court against dera head. Permission of Punjab Government is required for the arrest of dera head as per this order.
19 June, 2007


Sant Samaj Stepped Back After Letter from Jathedar Vedanti


As members of Sant Samaj were not arrested by the Govenment Sant Samaj staged a dharna at Traffic Lights of Phase 7, Mohali, members of Sant Samaj hold a march from Fatehgarh Sahib after perfoming Ardas to court arrest in protest regarding dera issue. Durring dharna Badal personally came to receive their memorandum and requested them to end their dharna but dharna continued till it was ended after receiving a letter using name of Akaal Takhat. This letter was brought by Avtar Singh Makkar, President of SGPC, and it was said that this letter is from Jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti. In this letter an apeal was made to end the dharna in intrests from Panthic Unity. The deceision of ending the dharna was never expected in the it came. Large Section of people and even some sections of Sant Samaj strongly criticized the way in witch dharna was lifted. Some sources say that whole process was more or less preplanned.

Protests planned for Vedanti's trip to USA

Fremont, CA (KP) - Several Panthic Jathebandees have decided to protest Joginder Singh Vedanti, Tarlochan Singh and Roop Singh’s upcoming trip to California. The Badal installed Jathedar of Akal Takht Sahib, the Jathedar of Kesgarh Sahib and the Joint Secretary, respectively, will arrive in California on June 29 to oversee the construction of a new Gurdwara to be called 'Anandgarh Sahib'. Several Panthic activists in California declared, Vedanti has damaged the Panth severely. By taking a worthless role in the case against the ‘Sacha Sauda’ Baba, Vedanti has embarassed the Panth.
When Vedanti previously visited Fremont Gurdwara Sahib, he was questioned about his dubious deeds. He was questioned as to why Saadh Dhanwant was forgiven after paying 80 thousands rupees; why the controversial movie- ‘Bole So Nihaal’ - was given the ‘ok’ after money was exchanged; why RSS Agent, Rulda Sinh was honoured with a Siropaa; why the actions of Ashutosh and Bhaniaaraevala were not investigated; why the issue of Mann Pehova’s several rape allegations was ignored after taking money from him, among other things.

Late Night Music Sessions

The Jathedaars of the Takhts were also accused of listening to Hindi music. In the past, several Singhs from Fremont visited a house in Chicago unannounced, where Joginder Singh Vedanti, Tarlochan Singh, Ranjit Singh and Iqbaal Singh were staying. The Singhs were very surprised when they arrived; they heard very loud Hindi music coming from the house. When the Jathedaars were questioned about it, they avoided the question and steered the conversation to a different direction.
When the Sangat asked the Jathedaar about these shady dealings, he replied that he will give the answers in writing; to this day, no answers have been received by the Sangat. California Panthic leaders say this time, Jathedaar Vedanti will be surrounded and forced to own up to his actions.

Vedanti Cashed Cheques at Liquor Store

Spokesperson of the Panthic Jathebandees, Preetam Singh Joga, alleged that Joginder Singh Vedanti cashed cheques given to him from liquor stores even though it is stated in the ‘Gurduara act,’ that a worker on duty for the SGPC cannot accept money from anyone else without the prior consent of the committee. The cheques range in price from $100 to $500.
The Sikh activists said a movie highlighting Vedanti’s betrayal to the Panth will also be shown to the Sangat in the presence of Vedanti. Organizers of the protest say that the protest will begin right at the airport. Leaders say Vedanti will also have to flee through a back door of the airport.Leaders appealed to the Sangat to gather at the Gurduaaraa Sahib in Kermen and take part in Panthic affairs such as this; if these types of people are not stopped, they will finish the Panth. "We have seen how these types of people deal with problems, such as, the ‘Sacha Sauda’ Saadh."

Compromised Leaders Promoting Badal Agenda? (Editorial PW)

History Repeating Itself : Corrupt Jathedars, Politicians and Deradars

Talwandi Sabo, Punjab (KP) – From the Jathedars of the Takhts and the members of the Sant-Samaj, the softening of their initial stance against the Sirsa cult has become all too predictable. If this trend continues, will they eventually accept the latest meaningless "apology" by the cult leader?
Panthic observers predict that it could be a reality unless the Sikh Sangat steps in to uphold the Hukamnamas and Gurmattas issued just a couple of weeks ago by Sri Akal Takht Sahib in regards to the Sirsa cult.

Beware of current Sikh Leadership

It seems that leaders like Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) president Paramjit S. Sarna and their associates are using the Sirsa cult controversy for their own publicity and are more than willing to find a solution that benefits themselves directly, along with the political parties involved. “The Panth’s interest is the last item on the plate of these psuedo-Panthic leaders, and it will be the Sikh Nation that will utimately suffer if these individuals are allowed to control the Panth’s agenda”, stated a representative of the Panthic organization Khalsa Alliance.

Sant-Samaj arrest threat Fizzles

The Sant-Samaj, currently led by the Sant Harnam S. Dhumma, had warned that the entire Sant-Samaj organization would court arrest on June 19th if the cult leader Ram Rahim was not arrested by the Government. Much to the surprise of Panthic organizations, the Sant-Samaj didn't court arrest, and held dharna after their leaders had discussions with SGPC President Avtar Makkar and CM Pakash Badal. Makkar pleaded to the Samaj that they should not launch an independent agitation without Vedanti's 'blessings.'
The Samaj announced that in the future they would work under the aegis of Jathedar Vedanti and not initiate any programs on their own – a guarantee the sants would now follow the supremacy of Jathedar Vedanti in the Sirsa dera confrontation. Vedanti is widely considered a puppet of the Badal-BJP combine, and has already backed off from implementing the Akal Takht Sahib Hukamnamas.
Interestingly, the same people who played upon the emotions the Sikh youth during the launch of the anti-Sirsa dera agitation, in which one young Sikh, Bhai Kanwaljit Singh, lost his life, and dozens were injured, are one by one starting to tow the two-faced line of Parkash Badal - the very individual Panthic observers believe is the root cause of the conflict.

General Sikh Sangat Still Resolute

While the specious Sikh leadership has widely withdrawn its initial stance against Dera Sacha Sauda, the Sikh Sangat and Panthic organizations are still portraying the same spirit that was ignited weeks ago when Sauda Cult leader Gurmeet Ram Rahim tried mimicking Guru Gobind Singh Ji at his Bathinda program.
Following the footsteps of the Rajasthan Sikhs keep up the struggle, Sikhs in Punjab have also started a social boycott movement against the cult followers. Even though this movement has caused hardship to many, the courage that is being expressed by Sikhs in Punjab has been magnificent.
Most Gurdwara Sahibs in Punjab that are under the control of Panthic committees have stopped allowing Dera Sacha Sauda followers to use saroops of Guru Granth Sahib at dera programs. In addition, several ‘naam charcha’ programs have also been suspended with efforts of local Sikhs.
It should be noted that while Sikhs in Punjab have refused to overlook the blasphemous acts of Gurmeet Ram Rahim, the Sikh leadership is not showing the exact same fortitude as they initially did. As predicted by Panthic Weekly in previous editions, the warnings from the Bharatiya Janata Party to the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) to stave off the crisis have shown that the Sikh High Command is controlled by right-wing Hindu organizations.
In light of this, despite the fact that Jathedar Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti publicly stated that SGPC President Avtar Makkar will be called at Akal Takht Sahib to clarify his role behind the rerouting of the Fatehgarh Sahib march, no such action has been taken so far. Today when the Sikh Nation is in need of political guidance, the Jathedars are trying to flee the country in order to avoid entanglement in a controversy.
Unlike Jathedar Vedanti and others, Singh Sahib Giani Balwant Singh Nandgarh is one of the very few leaders who have shown courage to continue the campaigns against Dera Sacha Sauda. At a recent program held at Talwandi Sabo, Jathedar Nandgarh once again stated that the clashes between Sikhs and ‘Dera Jhoota Sauda’ will not finish until the cult leader is arrested and all his deras in Punjab are shut down.
Singh Sahib Balwant Singh Nandgarh also spoke about the incident of Chandpura in which Dera Sacha Sauda followers attacked a local Gurdwara Sahib building. The incident of Chandpura turned violent when Sacha Sauda followers injured a local Sikh Youth who had taken part in some anti-Sacha Sauda protests in the past. After beating the young Singh, the Sacha Sauda followers noticed the police watching silently on the sidelines and they started throwing bricks and stones at the Gurdwara Sahib building. Jathedar Nandgarh alleged that the whole plot of attacking the Gurdwara Sahib was only successful due to the support of local police officers. Similar speeches of Jathedar Nandgarh have caused him serious troubles in the past. At the end of the program at Talwandi Sabo, Singh Sahib Balwant Singh Nandgarh refused to accept a siropa. He told the sangat that until the Sacha Sauda ‘Sadh’ was arrested, he will not consider himself qualified to receive any type of honor from the Khalsa Panth. Time will tell whether he will stand true to his word. Bhai Daljit Singh Bittu is also very active against the jhootha sauda.

Suspicious Arrests by Punjab Police

Mohali, Punjab (KP) – The recent arrests of Sikh activists Swarnjit Singh (Bobby) and Gurcharan Singh (Kala) for attempts to assassinate pseudo-dera heads have not only come as a surprise, but have left Panthic leaders suspicious, as they are having difficulty correlating the background and statements of Bobby and Kala. Although the two men have already disclosed their mission and objectives openly, whether all their explanations are correct or not will have to be decided later when more is discovered about their case.
According to police records, both Bobby and Kala were recently released from jail after their previous terms were completed. Kala was in jail for attempting to kill his local village panchayat head and another man. He was released from jail a year after his term of three years completed. Bobby on the other hand was released just a few months ago. He was arrested on charges of molestation.
At a police conference that was recently called to shed more light on the two arrests, SSP Ranbir Khatra presented the two arrested men. He identified Gurcharan Singh (Kala) as the son of a Bhindrawale Tigers Force (BTF) freedom fighter Sangat Singh Bawania and said that both Kala and Bobby met several ex-Kharkoos in jail and became their close associates. According to Khatra’s statement, one of then ex-Kharkoos had become successful in convincing Kala to walk in the footsteps of his father and work for the cause of the Khalsa Panth.
According to SSP Khatra, upon being released from jail, both men once again met and started forming a network. Their main objective was to finish anti-Sikh cult leaders and Pyara Bhaniarewala and Gurmeet Ram Rahim would have been their first targets. Kala was able to recover some of his father’s guns and ammunition but because of them being aged, he was keen to purchase more powerful weapons so the task could become easier to accomplish. In the process, Kala and some of his associates tried to rob a merchant in Kurali but they were caught by local villagers and handed over to the police. Upon interrogation, their whole network was uncovered.
Kala and Bobby also spoke to the press and identified their main motive behind the plot. They alleged that since no one had been successful in getting the Sacha Sauda leader arrested, they wanted to take matters into their own hands and assassinate Gurmeet Ram Rahim and Baba Bhaniara to teach a lesson to others.
Panthic leaders have been looking at these arrests through a veil of suspicion since Swarnjit Singh had been working as the Youth Akali Dal President of Shiromani Akal Dal (Badal) ever since his release from jail.
Parkash Badal and his family have kept close relationships with several anti-Panthic cults such as Sacha Sauda and Bhaniarewale in the past. Several panthic observers stated that It would not be surprising if these arrests were staged for publicity purposes, in benefiting both the Police and the Punjab Akali government.

Congress & Badal encouraging sectarian violence : International Human Rights Organisation


Persecution of Simranjit Singh Mann

Dr. Sudip Kaur Minhas, Executive Director, Voices For Freedom

New York, - Voices For Freedom expresses grave concern at the persecution, continued judicial detention and denial of bail to Simranjit Singh Mann (President Akali Dal Amritsar) and eighteen others. He remains in repressive custody after he along with eighteen others were arrested more than a month ago for protesting peacefully the installation of late Chief Minister Beant Singhʼs statue at BMC Chowk Jalandhar. He has since been booked under sections 150 and 124 A. During Beant Singhʼs reign as a Chief Minister thousands of Sikhs were either killed in fake encounters or disappeared. Mann has also alleged inhuman treatment during his hearings.
According to the feedback from various human rights organizations based in India, Indian police and particularly Panjab Police act more according to the whims and wishes of the ruling parties (in this case the Akali Dal Badal at the State and Congress at the Center) than according to the rule of law. Section 124 A which is a charge of Sedition is incompatible with the peaceful protest of Mann. Such extreme measures against a protest is a serious issue as it reveals the repressive ideology of the administration. Any governmentʼs repression of peaceful demonstrations and resorts to through state apparatus is a suppression of the right to free speech and expression.
Voices For Freedom has been campaigning against Indian police and administrationʼs repression against minorities and those who have protested against its oppression. Simranjit Singh Mann has been one of the many who have resorted to peaceful methods to demand a separate and sovereign state for the Sikhs. A demand that even the Supreme Court of India states is not illegal. Mann has been continuously harassed and booked under various sections of the IPC for the past many years.
Voices For Freedom believes that such repression of peaceful demonstrations and protests will cause further harm to the tenuous peace that prevails in Panjab. The people of Panjab and especially the Sikhs resent the freedom of those guilty of police repression during the decade long violence. Failure to protect the life and dignity of its people and then deny justice to victims is not only an abdication of responsibility but a crime.
Voices For Freedom therefore strongly urges the Indian Government to expedite the case proceedings, ensure the safety and dignity of Mann and co-accused and that they be given recourse to a fair trial. Further it must implement fully in practice the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The government must also set up an independent body to undertake prompt, thorough and impartial investigations into all allegations of ill-treatment, including cases of death in custody, and ensure that the methods and findings of such investigations are made public. It must then bring to justice anyone responsible for committing acts of torture and other serious human rights violations.

Latest Dera apology likely to be rejected too

The Sikh high priests rejected Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's first apology saying the addressee was not correct. Now, they are likely to turn down the revised apology too, this time the sender is wrong.
The high priests did not accept the first apology because it was not addressed to the Sikh community, which had been wronged, but to Guru Gobind Singh. Moreover, it was actually a regret, which was short of an apology.
The latest apology, which is yet to be considered by the five high priests, is from the Dera and not the Sacha Sauda sect chief. Considering that it was the personal conduct of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh that ignited the trouble, the apology obviously has to come from him.
Sources disclosed that the apology, sent to the Takht, says the sect respects all religions. It strives for eliminating divisions of religion and caste. "Our Santji is known as the servant of servants (daason ke daas)," the communication says.
Terming the recent "chain of events" a worrying issue, it says the misgivings emanating from them are saddening. "In the interest of mankind, we want to seek pardon from the real spiritual leader Sarvavanshdaani Gobind Singh and the Guru Panth," the apology says.
The latest apology was drafted by the Dera in consultation with Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Managing Committee (DSGMC) chief Paramjit Singh Sarna. Today, the DSGMC chief said the Dera faxed the draft to him on the night of June 19. He returned the draft after vetting it. "We suggested some changes and told them to incorporate those," he added.
For the record, Sarna maintained, "We don't know what the final letter, sent in a sealed envelop to the Akal Takht says." The DSGMC chief said since Akal Takht chief J S Vedanti is away, "we have forwarded the letter to SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar."
Sarna said the DSGMC has also received a copy of the letter, but we don't know the contents. "It is a matter of honour for DSGMC and the Sikhs of Delhi that we have been instrumental in the effort to resolve the crisis," he said. Sarna has been feeling uneasy after being accused by Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) of a design to spread unrest in Punjab.
Sarna did not agree with the contention that the Dera apology has been prompted by proceedings against him in a Punjab court. He said the draft communication preceded the court order.
The DSGMC chief may have his own reasons for playing the mediator between the Dera head and the Akal Takht, but he is sure to attract the charge of being in league with him. Sarna is said to have close links with both the Congress and its former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh. The reaction of the SAD to his recent moves is, therefore, anybody's guess.

Latest Breaking News - Thursday 21st June 2007

Arrest warrant against dera chief

Bathinda, In a significant development that could give a new twist to the standoff between Dera Sacha Sauda and Sikh organisations, additional chief judicial magistrate A.L. Kitchi today issued arrest warrant against Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, head, Dera Sacha Sauda, in connection with a criminal case registered against him under Section 295-A of the IPC on May 20 in Bathinda.
Sources said the magistrate directed the police to seek permission from the state government before arresting him.
A formal application was moved in the court by the police for securing his arrest warrant on June 18. However, the court took up the application yesterday and later adjourned the case.
The case was registered on the complaint of Rajinder Singh Sidhu, president, Khalsa Diwan. The dera head was charged with hurting the religious sentiments of Sikhs through his blasphemous act of imitating Guru Gobind Singh and enacting the religious baptism ceremony.
The police has also registered two criminal cases against dera followers for their alleged involvement in violence on May 14 and 15. Nearly 20 followers have been arrested so far.
Nau Nihal Singh, SSP, said the police would get the copy of arrest warrants tomorrow.
UNI adds: While referring to the plea of the prosecution, the court questioned the motive behind registering the case at a police station in Bathinda instead of at the Bhagta police station as the dera head had enacted the baptism ceremony at Salabatpura village. The prosecution contended that the case was registered at a local police station after the complaint of a local resident and, moreover, Bathinda, too, had been affected by the violence that followed the Salabatpura incident.
As the police had not sought the permission of the state government while registering the case, the court directed the prosecution to get the permission. The court pointed out that for registering a case under Section 295-A, the permission had to be first sought from the government.
After the prosecution assured the court that the permission would be formally sought from the government, the magistrate issued non-bailable warrants that are returnable by July 1.
During the arguments yesterday, the prosecution told the court that the police had raided the dera at Sirsa twice in the recent past to arrest Ram Rahim. However, on both occasions due to the presence of a large number of followers, the police could not arrest him.

Fresh apology, this time to Sikhs

Chandigarh/Mohali, In what could defuse tension and soothe frayed nerves in the North India, especially Punjab, chief of Dera Sacha Sauda Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh today issued a fresh apology. Now, he has apologised for his actions to the entire Sikh community.
It comes on a day when a court issued an arrest warrant against the dera chief for allegedly hurting the Sikh community's sentiments.
A copy of the letter was delivered by a special emissary of the Dera Sacha Sauda to chief of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee P.S. Sarna, who, in turn, has handed it over to SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar here today for acceptance of the Sikh high priests. Makkar said the letter had been received, however, he refused to comment, saying that only jathedar of the Akal Takht Joginder Singh Vedanti would comment on it. Makkar and Sarna addressed a joint press conference at Mohali here tonight.
It had been decided that a 10-member committee would be formed to iron out differences between the sect and the Sikh community, said Sarna. It would have five members each from among the Sikhs and followers of the sect. The choice of five members of the Sikhs had been left to Sikh high priests.
Sources said an MLA from Punjab, a dera emissary and a senior intelligence official were present when Sarna provided the information about the breakthrough in the deadlock.
Sarna told The Tribune that the apology letter was signed by the dera and it should not have any problems in being accepted. He revealed that the DSGMC was working behind the scene to persuade the dera chief to see reason.
A meeting of the Khalsa Action Committee was held tonight to decide on the further course of action. Various Sikh organisations was mounting pressure on the Punjab government asking it to arrest the dera chief and a case was registered against him on May 20 for "hurting the religious sentiments" of the Sikhs.

Congress MLAs stage walkout

Chandigarh, Congress MLAs today staged a walkout from the Punjab Vidhan Sabha when their demand for a discussion on the law and order situation was rejected just before the budget was to be presented.
Minutes after leading the walkout, leader of the opposition Rajinder Kaur Bhattal alleged that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had failed in his constitutional duty to ensure that every citizen got the fundamental right to practise any religion
She said the way premis (followers of the Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda) were being hounded out of the social fabric was wrong. As many as 74 deras of the sect had closed down as Badal had failed to protect them while he was allowing all pro-SAD deras like the one headed by a former SGPC chief, Bibi Jagir Kaur, to continue. Those who had issued public threats to dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and also other sects were not booked, she said.
When asked if the police case against the dera chief should be withdrawn, she said “the law should take its own course”. The granthis at gurdwaras were not permitting the presence of Guru Granth Sahib at bhogs and birth ceremonies in the families of premis.
Bhattal said Badal had once torn up copies of the Constitution and now was disrespecting it in another manner.
Though the dera chief had apologised, the government had taken no concrete steps to ensure the protection of life and property of dera followers, she alleged.
Justifying the walkout, she said that peace in the state was more important than development and the budget.
Charging the government with politicising the Sikh- Dera Sacha Sauda conflict, Bhattal claimed that those who did not vote for the Shiromani Akali Dal in the February assembly poll were being targeted by the government and were booked in fabricated cases. This “Akalisation” of Punjab would not be tolerated, she added. Bhattal said Speaker Nirmal Singh Kahlon had disallowed the raising of certain issues, including law and order, before the presentation of the budget in the house.
A plea by Chief Minister Badal that the opposition party should sit down during the budget presentation was rejected by the opposition. Bhattal, who visibly had the solid backing of the younger outspoken lot of MLAs, preferred a walkout and addressed the media, saying the Chief Minister should have given an assurance that a judicial commission would be set up.
Earlier, the Congressmen arrived in the house wearing plastic aprons over their clothes with slogans written on these criticising the ruling SAD-BJP combine. The aprons had anti-government slogans and demands for halting police repression against Congress workers and dalits written on them. A slogan castigated the government for failing to implement the cheap atta-dal scheme. Another one called the first 100 days of the government as “100 black days” and another one demanded a judicial inquiry into the Noormahal incident.

Dera Row Khalsa panel adamant on June 24 march

Amritsar, Various Sikh bodies, including the SGPC, the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) and a section of the Sant Samaj, have been making all-out efforts to resolve the Sikh-Dera Sacha Sauda row and the meeting of the Sikh clergy may be delayed because Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti, jathedar, Akal Takht, has gone abroad. He is unlikely to return before June 24, the date fixed by the Khalsa Action Committee to march in procession against blasphemous activities of dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.
Fresh mediation efforts have led to a debate in Sikh circles, especially over the meeting of DSGMC chief Parmjit Singh Sarna and the SGPCchief at Mohali today .However, Harvinder Singh Sarna , a former DSGMC chief, said it should not be construed that they (Sarna brothers) had reached any understanding with Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister, and SGPC chief Avtar Singh . He said : “We have brought the fresh draft on behalf of the apology of the dera in the larger interest of the Sikh community.”
The DSGMC chief claimed the draft of fresh apology was faxed from Sirsa, a copy of which was sent to Baba Harnam Singh Khalsa, chief of the Damdami Taksal.. Some senior functionaries of the dera were also involved in the mediation. Sarna claimed it was the dera which approached him a week ago to defuse the situation.
Congress MLA Harminder Singh Jassi, a relative of the dera chief, played a pivotal role in drafting the fresh apology.
This development reportedly has caused division in the Sant Samaj because some senior leaders of the Khalsa panel have rejected the fresh apology.
Talking to The Tribune, Bhai Daljit Singh Bittu, senior vice-president, SAD (Amritsar), Kanwarpal Singh, a spokesman for the Dal Khalsa, and Bhai Mohkam Singh, a spokesman for the Dal Khalsa, said the proposed march of June 24 would be taken out as per schedule since the fresh draft of the apology was unacceptable to them.
The Dal Khalsa spokesman said the directive of Jathedar Vedanti that they should take consent of the Sikh clergy before taking out any procession had no validity since they had already sought his “permission” on June 6 and Jathedar Vedanti himself had given his “consent” to the Khalsa committee to “go ahead” with the protest march.

The question doesn't even arise that we should forgive the dera chief - Bhai Daljit Singh Bittu Vice President Shiromani Akali Dal Amritsar

Guru Granth Sahib removed from dera

Moga, Activists of the Ek Noor Khalsa Fauj today removed Guru Granth Sahib from dera Satoana, near here, without any resistance from the opposite side.
Nearly 12 activists reached the dera and removed Guru Granth Sahib on the premise that it was against the Sikh principles to keep the holiest scripture in a dera.
The Satoana dera headed by Sant Balbir Singh has been running in the village for the past several decades.

Sants came marching in, Badal rushed to deflate

Fatehgarh Sahib/Mohali: Of the several Machiavellian ways available to a politician to torpedo a move that could inspire a community to stress its aspirations and forge a feeling of identity, Punjab Chief Minister and Akali Dal president Parkash Singh Badal chose the option of direct intervention. Few can deflate a movement in Sikh ranks with the dexterity of a Badal. As the Sikh leaders associated with the Sant Samaj came marching from Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib to Chandigarh to court arrest, their protest aimed at forcing the government to arrest Dera Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim, the group was stopped in Mohali where Badal himself landed, asking the Sants not to adopt the strategy of dharnas and arrests. "Such protests suit politicians, not the Sants," Badal said.

He said the provocation created by Dera head was indeed grave, but he just couldn't go ahead and arrest Gurmit Ram Rahim since he was bound by the Oath of Constitution and will allow the law to take its own course. Badal did not say which Article of the Constitution allows someone to insult and imitate the Sikh Gurus.
The CM's media adviser Harcharan Singh Bains was with Badal as he engaged the Sants for about 45 minutes in Mohali's Phase VIII on Mohali-Sirhind road. As the Sant Samaj leadership seemed intent on courting arrest, Badal refused to budge saying he just can't allow any detention or arrest of the Sants. Minutes after he left, a message from the Akal Takht jathedar Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti arrived through SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar asking all leaders to formulate any protest programs only after clearance from the temporal authority. This was enough to convince the Sant Samaj to call off Tuesday's protest.
Damdami Taksal leader Harnam Singh Dhumma, who often suffixes 'Khalsa' or 'Bhindranwale' with his name depending upon the occasion, seemed to more ready than others to concede, which also brought out the fact that the Sant Samaj also had internal differences on the matter.
The exercise was in many ways a repeat of the earlier march from Fatehgarh Sahib which was to reach Chandigarh, but then diverted to nearby Gurdwara Jyoti Saroop where ADCs of Punjab and Haryana governors had reached to receive the memorandums. The move had taken the sting out of the protest and made life easier for Badal.
Earlier, the sants held a meeting at Dewan Todar Mal hall on the gurdwara premises during which prominent Sikh leaders criticized chief of the dera Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.
Of course, the continued pressure tactics is also yielding some dividends. On June 19, the Badal government moved to up the pressure with the Bathinda police seeking from a local court arrest warrants against Gurmeet Ram Rahim in the criminal case registered against him at the city police station here on May 20.
The move now makes the entry of Gurmeet Ram Rahim into Bathinda difficult and strategists of the government say it was to stall a satsang in the dera branch at Salabatpura village in July where Gurmeet Ram was to participate.
Police said the formal application was moved regarding the criminal case registered under Section 295-A of the IPC on the complaint of Rajinder Singh Sidhu, president, local Khalsa Diwan.
Badal's claims of so much respect for the Sants notwithstanding, the panthic government had ordered tough measures by the police. Elaborate security arrangements were made and cops from other districts were also called in to ensure law and order. Tear-gas guns and anti-rioting squads were on hand and policemen deflated tyres of vehicles parked along the Fatehgarh-Mohali road. Movements of perceived radicals, like Bhai Daljit Singh of Akali Dal (Amritsar) and Dal Khalsa general secretary Kanwar Pal Singh, were video graphed by the police during their stay in the district and the convoy of over 150 vehicles was escorted by the police up to the district border.
Dhumma did not forget to add that soon the next line of action will be decided, a clear indication that the Sant Samaj would like to keep the leadership role on the issue. As for Bhai Daljit Singh, his movements were a more closely followed exercise since a case of sedition is pending against him and he was expected to join investigations.

Punjab Police back to old ways

But these were not the only developments. The Punjab Police meanwhile prepared to gather ammunition against men who could be a pain in the neck someday because they aren’t adopting the compromising tone. The Mohali police claimed it has nabbed former Bhindarawale Tiger Force (BTF) terrorist Sangat Singh Bawani's son Gurcharan Singh Kala and his accomplice Sawranjit Singh Bobby, a local leader, for planning to kill Baba Bhaniarawala and forming a Khalsa Action Committee for the purpose.
The police claimed that Bobby and Kala met in the high security Nabha jail where they were pursuaded by Daljit Singh Bittu, Balbir Singh Beera and Gursharan Singh Gama, associated with Kala's father, to eliminate Baba Bhaniarawala. Mohali SSP Ranbir Singh Khatra said the two had confessed to the plot and a .455 bore pistol, a .30 bore revolver and two grenades were recovered from them. The duo were nabbed for attempting to snatch police weapons in Bhakhra canal siphon in Jhalliana village and loot a Kurali-based trader. Both have been remanded to judicial custody.
A day later, the Moga police also registered a sedition case against some unknown pro Khalistanis for threatening the life of Dera Sauda head following appearance of a few provocative posters.
Bhaniarawala, who was ex-communicated by the Akal Takht, presently resides in his village Dhamana in Ropar under a CRPF cover.

Arrest warrant issued against Dera chief

BATHINDA: In a significant development, a Bathinda court on Wednesday issued a conditional arrest warrant against Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, accused of hurting the religious sentiments of Sikhs.
The Court of Duty Magistrate AL Khitchi issued the order this evening but directed the police to seek Punjab Government's permission before arresting the Sirsa-based Dera head.
On Tuesday, the judge had noted that police did not have sufficient evidence to seek arrest warrant against the Dera head after which the prosecution sought a day's time following which the court reserved its order till tomorrow.
Police in their application had claimed that they had "sufficient evidence" against him. Various Sikh organisations have been mounting pressure on the Punjab Government asking it to arrest the Dera chief for "hurting" the religious feelings of the community.
A case was registered against the head of the Sirsa-based sect on May 20 for "hurting religious sentiments" of Sikhs.
The Dera chief was embroiled in controversy after an advertisement appeared in newspapers on May 13 purportedly showing him distributing "amrit" (nectar) while attired in a dress similar to that of Sikh Guru, Gobind Singh.

Warrants and Sorry Game of the Dera of Semantics

Talk is in the air once again of a new muaafinama from the dera. When the entire political establishment in Punjab was busy with the goings on in the Punjab Assembly and Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal was reading out his long-winded budget speech, many were looking for thrills in the boring documents likely to termed as a dream budget by the establishment and its stooges. But far more thrilling stuff was happening outside, of course in a hush hush manner as is the nature of all cloak and dagger operations.

Representatives of Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim were networking with the sympathetic quarters in the Akali Dal and trying to reach out to the clergy, ready with a newly drafted (crafted?) apology in hand, this time saying sorry to the Sikh sangat instead of the earlier tactic of addressing the muaafi to tenth Sikh master Guru Gobind Singh.

The CBI now has the deadline of end of July to submit the final report in the murder case in which Gurmeet Ram Rahim is a prime accused and the baba is under prssure to pull a rabbit out of his jaam-e-insa to escape the law. As it became pretty clear that he was ready to organise a function at Salabatpura dera, the scene of the violent protests some time back, the Akali Dal-BJP regime got seriously into the act and the Bathinda police was asked to move the court to obtain the arrest warrants of the dera baba.

This is aimed at stopping the baba from entering Bathinda and a poor attempt to try and confine him to Haryana, something which can enable Badal to say that it was out of the purview of his government to arrest the man who insulted the Sikh religion, imitated the tenth Guru and continues to remain unrepentant. He is now announcing that the nam-charcha dramas will rather increase and has already repeated the copycat action of amrit sanchar ceremony with a jaam-e-insa function at Sirsa on June 10.
The Sikh sangat has seen the intensive efforts by the Badal camp to somehow torpedo all panthic actions, the latest being his move of landing at the dharna site in Mohali and asking the Sant Samaj not to court arrest. If he respected the Sants so much, why did his police stop them from proceeding towards the secretariat? Then came the instruction from the Akal Takht jathedar Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti, brought by none other than SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar. No messenger would have succeeded in racing against time as Makkar did that day, getting the missive to the Sants by 9 pm.
The WSN understands that the efforts by Gurmeet Ram Rahim to somehow hoodwink the sangat with some semantic play and crafted apologies will continue till he finds someone who can get him off the hook, but let it be said clearly that the Sikh quom will accept a line of action only and only when it is taken after taking the entire Khalsa Panth into confidence.
Meanwhile, the strategy to keep behind bars men like Simranjit Singh Mann and entangle in cases leaders like Bhai Daljit Singh Bittu will only harm the Sikh cause.
The quom is so far united, despite many provocations to the contrary, under the banner of the Akal Takht, and it is up to the clergy and the panthic leadership to ensure that this unity is maintained. The only way is the Khalsa way of collective decision making. Cloak and dagger is an alternative too poor to succeed.

Dera supporters attack Sikh youth, case registered after protest

SIRSA: Four Dera Sauda followers allegedly attacked a Sikh youth after he objected to their holding a function in Dadoo village, about 45 km from here, on June 17 evening. The victim, Gurvinder Singh, alleged that the Dera supporters were using derogatory language against the Guru Granth Sahib. When he objected, they allegedly beat him up. The Kalanwali police registered a case under Sections 323, 324 and 34 of the IPC against Surjit Singh alias Sita, Iqbal Singh, Balvinder Singh alias Pappi and Darshan Singh, all Dadoo residents. But the police action failed to soothe the anger of the Sikhs. Dadoo gurdwara main sewadar Baljit Singh in retaliation asked the Sikhs to block the Dabwali-Rori road and demanded Section 307 of the IPC be added in the complaint. Dabwali Sub-Divisional Magistrate and the DSP rushed to the spot to defuse the situation. The Sikhs finally relented and lifted the blockade after the Section was incorporated. On the other hand, one of the accused, Iqbal Singh, got himself admitted to Civil Hospital in Sirsa with some injuries. He alleged Sikhs had thrashed him and demanded a criminal case be registered against them. It is common for Punjab Police to register cases on demand as way to achieve compromise between two parties. Even cases of attempt to murder are routinely registered in a most casual manner.

Dera Supporters clash with sikh groups in Haryana Village.

Chandigarh :Hours after a conditional arrest warrant was issued against the Dera Sacha Sauda chief, members of Sikh community today clashed with Dera supporters in a village in Sirsa prompting the authorities to beef up security in the tense areas.
The district authorities have sought additional para-military forces, including 400 Rapid Action Force personnel, after the clash in Odhan village of Sirsa. The clash between Dera supporters and the Sikh group erupted after a court in Bathinda issued a conditional non-bailable arrest warrant against Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. No one was injured in the incident.
"We have asked for four more companies of RAF even as four BSF companies are already with us," Sirsa Deputy Commissioner V Umashankar said . The state government and the district administration was closely keeping a watch on the situation in tense Sirsa town, official sources said.
Tight security arrangements are in place around the Dera, whose chief was recently provided with "Z plus" security cover owing to the threats to his life. Meanwhile, the Sirsa district administration in its bid to defuse tension in villages bordering Punjab, has formed a 32-member peace committee headed by the Deputy Commissioner. It also includes 28 eminent citizens.

'Harassed' Dera to meet on today

Sirsa :As tension mounted in Haryana's Sirsa, the seat of Dera Sacha Sauda, the sect has alleged that 'excesses' were being committed against its followers and convened an urgent meeting on Thursday to chalk out its action plan to counter the attempts to 'terrorise' them.
Hours after a court issued conditional arrest warrant against its chief Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the Dera followers held a congregation in Sirsa after which it asked supporters from all the states to converge in Sirsa. 'The Dera has convened an emergent meeting on Thursday to take further action to counter excesses on the Dera followers by some anti-social elements,' a release issued by the sect on Monday night in Chandigarh said.
It said some anti-social elements are 'openly creating an atmosphere of terror' against peaceful followers of Dera. It asked its followers to be 'prepared for any eventuality and make any sacrifice.' A clash took place between some Sikh community members and Dera supporters in a village in Sirsa, leading to tension. Security is being stepped up in Sirsa with deployment of additional paramilitary forces.
Tight security arrangements are in place around the Dera, whose chief was recently provided 'Z plus' security cover owing to the threats to his life. The state was hit by a sectarian strife in which one person was killed and over 50 were injured after head of Dera Sacha Sauda appeared in an advertisement in various newspapers on May 13 showing him as dressed as tenth Sikh Guru Gobind Singh.

Latest Breaking News from Punjab - Wednesday 20th June 2007

Dera chief’s arrest Decision on warrant reserved for today

Bathinda, Additional chief judicial magistrate A. L. Kitchi today adjourned the decision on the application moved by the district police for securing an arrest warrant against the head of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect till tomorrow.
Kitchi adjourned the decision when the state prosecution agencies requested him that it should be given one day’s time to remove the legal shortcomings, which had cropped up after they had moved an application yesterday.
The district police had moved an application in the local court to secure an arrest warrant against Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. The case was registered under Section 295-A of the IPC on the complaint of Rajinder Singh Sidhu, president, local branch of the Khalsa Diwan.
Police sources said the prosecution agencies would remove all shortcomings by tomorrow and would be able to secure the arrest warrant against Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.
The argument advanced by the prosecution did not convince the judge, who said the police did not have sufficient evidence to seek the arrest warrant against the dera chief. The prosecution sought a day’s time and the court reserved its order till tomorrow.

Leaders assemble amid tight security Sant Samaj protest peaceful

Fatehgarh Sahib, On a call given by the Sant Samaj, a large number of religious leaders from across the state today gathered at Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib following the ending of the ultimatum given to the state governments today.
The sants under the banner of Sant Samaj held a meeting at Dewan Todar Mal hall on the gurdwara premises during which prominent Sikh leaders criticised chief of the dera Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.
The leaders assembled here amid elaborate security arrangements by the district police. Forces from other districts were also called in to ensure law and order. The police had arranged tear-gas guns, besides anti-rioting squads were also deputed at various places. Parking of vehicles along the Fatehgarh-Mohali road was also banned by the forces, which deflated the tyres of vehicles already parked there. Radical Sikh leaders were videographed by the police during their stay in the district. The convoy of over 150 vehicles was escorted by the police up to the district border.
Following the meeting, the gathering of religious leaders and their disciples offered ardas at the gurdwara and moved towards the state capital. On their way they halted at Gurdwara Sri Jyoti Sarup to pay obeisance. A number of radical leaders, including SAD (A) senior vice-president Daljit Singh Bittu and Dal Khalsa general secretary Kanwar Pal Singh, were also present at the meeting.
Speaking to the mediapersons before leaving the district, chief of Damdami Taksal and president of Sant Samaj Harnam Singh Khalsa said the Sikhs had already given enough time to the governments of Punjab and Haryana to take action against the Dera chief. He called upon the religious leaders to press upon their demand of arresting the Dera chief in a peaceful manner. He said in case no action was taken in this regard, the samaj would decide the next line of action.

Ask me first, Vedanti appeals to Sikhs

Amritsar, June 19Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti today appealed to the Sikh masses and various Panthic organisations to take his consent before launching any programme to protest against the Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Raheem Singh.
Jathedar Vedanti said in his appeal that blasphemous acts of the Dera chief had hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community all over the world. He said there was a need to maintain unity in the Panth and to be cautious against the conspirators, who were trying to create fissures in the unity of the Panth.

Sant Samaj's Arrest Issue

The members of Sant Samaj Tuesday sat on on an indefinite dharna in Mohali at the phase 7 traffic lights and blocked the road after they were stopped from proceeding towards Chandigarh to court arrest, seeking arrest of dera sauda head gurmit ram rahim.

Sant Samaj may Court Arrest

It is expected that sant Samaj shall court arrest today as dera sauda head is not arrested even after time allowed by sant samaj for his arrest. Sant Samaj is beleived to be commited to court their arrest in protest..

Court reserves decision on arrest warrant against Dera head

BHATHINDA (PUNJAB): A court on Tuesday reserved its order till tomorrow on an application filed by Punjab Police seeking an arrest warrant against head of Dera Sacha Sauda Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of Sikhs.Police on Monday had filed an application in the court of Duty Magistrate K L Khitchi seeking a warrant against the Dera Chief, claiming that they had “sufficient evidence” against him.The arguments lasted for about 20 minutes, during which the prosecution told the court that the police had raided the Dera of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh at Sirsa twice in the recent past to arrest him.Both the attempts by police were unsuccessful, the prosecution said adding, there were several “premis” (followers) of Baba Gurmeet present in the Dera premises.However, the judge noted that police did not have sufficient evidence to seek arrest warrant against the Dera head.After the judge’s observation, the prosecution sought a day’s time following which the court reserved its order till tomorrow.The judge posed some queries to the prosecution on how the police would enter the Dera.A case was registered against the head of the Sirsa-based sect on May 20 for “hurting religious sentiments” of Sikhs.The Dera chief was embroiled in controversy after an advertisement appeared in newspapers on May 13 purportedly showing him distributing “amrit” (nectar) while attired in a dress similar to that of tenth Sikh Guru Gobind Singh.After the incident, the state was hit by violence in which one person was killed and over 50 were injured.The stand-off between the Dera head and the various Sikh organisations, including the Akal Takht, was somewhat defused after Baba Gurmeet tendered an apology.

Sant Samaj starts dharna in Mohali for arrest of dera chief

CHANDIGRH: The members of Sant Samaj Tuesday sat on on an indefinite dharna in Mohali at the phase 7 traffic lights and blocked the road after they were stopped from proceeding towards Chandigarh to court arrest, seeking arrest of dera Sacha Sauda head Baba Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh.
Over 200 members of Sant Samaj an umberella organisation of vrious Sikh religious bodies had started their procession from Fatehgarh Sahib to Chandigarh on Tuesday morning but they were not allowed to go beyond Mohali where a large police force forced them to terminate their procession. The Sant Samaj members however sat in the middle of the traffic point and raised slogans against dera Chief.
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar came personally to request the Sants to lift the blockade and assured them legal action would be taken against the dera Chief. They also accepted the memorendum from Sant Samaj.
Badal said that he was not able to do much since Congress government in Haryana is not cooperating with Punjab. He said that he was also very unhappy over the manner dera Sacha Sauda was working against the Sikh traditions.
The dharna was continuing when reports last came. The Sant Samaj and many other radical organisations had announced to start agitation from Tuesday if dera head is not arreste by June 18. Large number of their supporters assembled in Fatehgarh Sahib. Harbam Singh Khalsa head of Damdami Taksal let the procession.They assembled at at historical Gurdwara Sri Fatehgarh Sahib and demanded action against Dera Sacha Sauda head for his recent "blasphemous act".
The police had arranged tear-gas guns besides anti-rioting squads were also deputed at various places. Parking of vehicles along the Fatehgarh-Mohali road was also banned by the forces, which deflated the tyres of vehicles already parked there. Radical Sikh leaders were thoroughly video graphed by the police during their stay in the district. The convoy of the around 200 vehicles was escorted by police up to the district border.
Talking to media persons, Khalsa said that they will adopt peaceful measures to lodge their protest. He said that that the Dera crisis was not yet over. He reiterated Sant Samaj demand for immediate arrest of Dera head and closure of all its branches in Punjab.
He said the Sikhs had already given enough time to the governments of both Punjab and Haryana to take action against the Dera chief. He called upon the religious leaders to press upon their demand of arresting the Dera Chief in a peaceful manner. He said in case no action was taken against the Dera Chief, the Sant Samaj would decide the next line of action in accordance with the prevailing circumstances.
The police had made traffic diversions at several places on the road between Fatehgarh Sahib to Chandigarh so that those travelling by buses or any other vehicles do not suffer.

BADAL PROMISES ACTION AGAINST SACHA SAUDA HEAD CAN HE REALLY BE TRUSTED?

Mohali: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Badal today assured Sikhs that action would be taken against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Raheem Singh for his blasphmeous imitation of Guru Gobind Singh.
The Chief Minister gave this assurance to a delegation of the 'Sant Samaj', a conglomeration of a number of Sikh religious and political groups at a meeting here. The Chief Minister came here from Chandigarh to meet the delegation, which was proceeding to the UnionTerritory to court arrest.
The 'Sant Samaj' had given an ultimatium to the Punjab government to arrest the Dera chief till June 18. As the government had failed to meet their demand, the 'Sant Samaj' decided to take out a protest march from Fathegarh Sahib to Chandigarh, where they were to court arrest.
During his meeting with the delegation, Mr Badal said ''Action will be taken against Ram Raheem as ''per law'', The state police have already registered a case against the Dera head and have even sought arrest warrants from a court in Bathinda.'' The Chief Minister told the delegation that he was equally concerned about the anti-Sikh activities of the Dera chief.
Prior to the march, leaders of the 'Sant Samaj' assembled at historical Gurdwara Sri Fatehgarh Sahib demanding action against Ram Rahim Singh for his 'blasphemous act'. The police took precautionary measures to prevent any untoward incident.
The police had arranged tear-gas guns besides anti-rioting squads were also deputed at various places. A number of radical leaders including Damdami Taksal chief Harnam Singh Khalsa, SAD (Amritsar) Senior Vice President Daljit Singh Bittu and Dal Khalsa General Secretary Kanwar Pal Singh were also present during the meeting.
The 'Sant Samaj' activists led by Harnam Singh Khalsa later moved in a convoy of vehicles to the state capital to court arrest. Talking to mediapersons, Harnam Singh Khalsa said ''we will adopt peaceful measures to lodge protest.'' He reiterated the Sant Samaj demand for immediate arrest of Dera head and closure of all its branches in Punjab.
The Sikhs had already given enough time to the governments of both Punjab and Haryana to take action against the Dera chief. In case no action was taken the Sant Samaj would decide the next line of action in accordance with the prevailing circumstances, Mr Khalsa added.

NO ONE ABOVE LAW, ASSERTS BADAL

Amid demands for the arrest of the head of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect for alleged blasphemy, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said no one would be ‘exempted’ from the law and allowed to disturb the peace.
"Everybody is equal in the eyes of the law. One will never find an example where an exemption has been given to a person despite taking the law in his hands," he said outside the state Assembly. Asked about a Punjab police application in the Bathinda court seeking an arrest warrant for the Sirsa-based sect's chief Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, Badal said, "everything will be done in accordance with the law."
He said the government was committed to maintain the law and order no one would be allowed to disturb the peace in the state. The Dera head triggered outrage among the Sikh community last month after he dressed up like Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru.

Sunam Sangat and Shaheeds family protests for arrest of killers of Shaheed Bhai Kamaljit Singh Ji immediately or otherwise further action will be taken.

Sikh organisations to stage protest on June 24

Moga, :In a bid to mount pressure on the state government to arrest the Dera Sacha Sauda head, various Sikh organisations have decided to undertake a protest march from Gurdwara Zafarnama in this district to Damdama Sahib, Talwandi Sabo, in Bathinda on June 24.The protesters will also include Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee president, Paramjit Singh, leaders of the SAD (A) and Sant Samaj, an umbrella organisation of various Sikh bodies.Inspector General of Police, Patiala Zone, M.K. Tiwari held a meetings at Salabatpura and Dina Sahib with DIGs of Ferozepur and Bathinda zones, Deputy Commissioners and SSPs of Moga and Bathinda districts, last evening, to take stock of the situation in view of the protest march.In a four-hour meeting, in which para-military officials also participated, it was decided to deploy 4,000 Punjab police and para-military forces along the entire stretch of the proposed march, which is approximately about 120 km and has many Sacha Sauda Deras falling along the way.Sant Samaj members comprising some radicals yesterday had blocked a road at Mohali seeking immediate arrest of Dera chief.Punjab Police on Monday had filed an application in a Bathinda court seeking arrest warrant for the Sirsa-based Dera head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of the Sikhs.

Latest Breaking News from Punjab - Tuesday 19th June 2007

Sant Samaj to court arrest today

Plea filed for arrest of dera chief

Bathinda, The district police has moved an application in the local court to secure arrest warrant against Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, head, Dera Sacha Sauda, in a criminal case registered against him at the city police station here on May 20.
Various Sikh organisations have also planned a protest march in the district on June 24 to press the state government to arrest him.
Moreover, this move of the district police authorities has also made the entry of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh into this district difficult. The dera chief was planning to hold a satsang in the dera branch at Salabatpura village in July.
Police sources said a formal application had been moved in the court in this town in connection with the criminal case registered under Section 295-A of the IPC against the dera chief on the complaint of Rajinder Singh Sidhu, president, local Khalsa Diwan.
Twenty followers of the sect had already been arrested for their alleged involvement in violence which took place in this town on May 15. Another criminal case had also been registered at the city police station against unidentified followers for their alleged involvement in violence on May 14.
Sources added that if the court issued warrants against Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, he might be arrested. Though senior police officials were tightlipped in connection with today’s development, information gathered by TNS revealed that the district police authorities were likely to get the arrest warrant of the dera chief within a few days.

Ultimatum Ends Sant Samaj to court arrest today

Jalandhar, As the ultimatum served by the Gurmat Sidhant Parcharak Sant Samaj on June 2 on the Union, Punjab and Haryana governments for arresting Dera Sacha Sauda head Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh ended on Monday, members of the Sant Samaj will court arrest on Tuesday.
The chief of Sant Samaj, Baba Harnam Singh Khalsa, who is also head of Damdami Taksal, said the members of the samaj would start a procession from Fatehgarh Sahib to Chandigarh on Tuesday where they would court arrest.
Khalsa said they wanted to continue their protest against the dera in a peaceful manner and the concerned government should arrest the dera chief keeping in mind the sentiments of the Sikh community.
In the same way, the senior vice-president of Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) Daljit Singh Bittu said the Khalsa Action Committee comprising several Sikh organisations, including the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, SAD (A), Dal Khalsa, Damdami Taksal, Shiromani Khalsa Panchayat and SAD-1920 would carry out a Khalsa march in favour of their demand of the dera chief’s arrest on June 24.
Bittu said the DCs of Moga and Bathinda had already been informed about the route.

State on high alert

Chandigarh, Punjab has been put on high alert for tomorrow to avoid any clash between followers of the Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda and the Sikhs in Punjab. Almost a fortnight after it seemed things were cooling off the recent precautions are being taken on two counts.
First, the Bathinda police has sought arrest warrants of Dera chief Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh. This could anger the Premis’ (followers of the dera) and secondly the Sant Samaj will stage a march from Fatehgarh Sahib to Chandigarh to protest against the dera. Senior police officers were meeting to plan strategy for tomorrow.
This will be the second such march. The earlier one, led by the SGPC, had passed-off peacefully with the submission of memorandums to representatives of the Governors of Punjab and Haryana at Fatehgarh Sahib itself. Tomorrow’s march is keeping the police on its toes as a decision has been taken that it will not be stopped at Fatehgarh Sahib. It could be intercepted at Mohali, said a top police officer adding no unsheathed swords would be allowed.
Sources in the Punjab Police said the Dera had given a call to followers in Punjab to reach its main dera in Punjab at Salabatpura. The police said all people, be it Premis or Sikh organisations, travelling in the south-western districts were being screened and searches carried to stop anybody travelling with arms or swords. The police is keen on avoding a flare up. Paramilitary forces will help the police while Section 144 of the CrPC remains in force and nakas have been set-up to check travellers.
Just two days ago posters had come up in Moga threatning the Dera chief and his followers. These were computer-generated print-outs and the police had beefed up security.

No decision at high preists’ meeting

Amritsar, No decision came out of the emergency meeting convened by Jathedar Akal Takht Joginder Singh Vedanti here late in the evening today, to discuss the issue of courting arrest by the Sant Samaj at Chandigarh tomorrow.
The meeting was convened by Akal Takht Jathedar Vedanti to urge leaders and workers of the Sant Samaj to refrain from courting arrest at Chandigarh in protest against the failure of the state government to arrest Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.
Besides Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti, Giani Trilochan Singh of Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib, Giani Balwant Singh Nandgarh of Damdama Sahib and Sikh high priests Giani Gurbachan Singh and Giani Jagtar Singh were were present in the meeting.

Punjab police seek warrant against Dera chief

Bathinda (Punjab) : The Punjab police Monday sought an arrest warrant against Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh on the charge of hurting religious sentiments of the Sikh community.
Police moved a court here seeking the warrant for the Dera chief who lives near Sirsa town in neighbouring Haryana, 100 km from here.
The arrest warrant has been sought on the basis of a case filed against the Dera chief here May 20 in which he was charged of hurting the religious sentiments of a community through his actions.
The case was registered under Section 295-A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The court admitted the police plea but reserved its order.
The move by police comes a day before Sikh hardliners, led by Sant Samaj, are to court arrest at Chandigarh Tuesday seeking action against the Dera chief.
He has been accused of blaspheming the Sikh religion recently by attiring himself like 10th Sikh guru Gobind Singh.
The controversy led to widespread protests by Sikhs and clashes between members of the Sikh community and Dera followers. Punjab had remained on the boil for over a week mid-May.
Though the Dera head was later pressurized into apologizing, the Sikh community was not entirely satisfied and they wanted him arrested.
The Akal Takht - highest temporal seat of Sikhs - had asked the Dera to wind up its campuses from Punjab by May 27 but that did not happen. The Sikh community was also asked to socially boycott the Dera chief and all his followers.
In an apparent effort to cool tempers of some radical Sikh outfits demanding the arrest of Dera Sacha Sauda chief, Punjab police on Monday moved a local court seeking arrest warrants against sect head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of Sikhs.
Punjab police filed an application before duty magistrate KL Khitchi seeking arrest warrants against the dera chief.
“After proper investigations, we have sufficient evidence against the head of Dera Sacha Sauda about his involvement in hurting religious sentiments of Sikhs,” Bathinda SSP Naunihal Singh said.

This note was submitted to the Sessions Judge, Jullundhar, trying the 21 Sikh nationalists for treason and sedition.

To,The Hon’ble Session Judge,Julundhar,Subject:- Torture and lack of medicines while in Judicial Custody in Central Jail, Ludhiana.Your Honour,Fateh,We 20 prisoners, one being admitted in Rajindra Hospital, Patiala who is not a signatory to this petition before your Honour wish to state that as per international standards on the description of torture it is now recognized that keeping prisoners detained in extreme of temperatures, whether very cold or very hot is a form of torture. We prisoners were put to extreme torture in Ludhiana Jail when the temperatures reached 47ºC and above.On 31st May 2007 in the afternoon the electricity was shut off for one complete hour. On 1st, June 2007 for one and a half hour the electricity was shut after we were locked in our barracks /cell. Without the fans we faced extreme pain and torture.One 8th, June 2007, the electricity in the Jail was shut off from 3PM to 6PM. It was stifling hot and temperatures had soared to 47º C. On 10th, June 2007, after we were locked into our wards/cells, the electricity was put off from 8.10PM to 10.15PM. This was the worst night for us prisoners, it being very, very hot. 17 prisoners that night in our jail were brought to the Jail Hospital, as with the extreme heat they were on the verge of death.On 12th, June 07 the electricity in the Jail was shut down from 9AM to 1PM.We have learnt that the Jail has an uninterrupted supply of 24 hours of power but the break downs began after we prisoners of Shiromani Akali Dal(Amritsar) were packed to jail on flimsy charges that did not stand under sections 107/151 Crpc. Or later under 124A IPC and 153 A IPC. The BJP –Badal government is pursuing vendetta politics against all parties and persons who do not ascribe to ultra-right wing Hindutva agenda of the BJP and Badalites.We have also lacked medical facilities as S. Hazoor Singh Paili has not received proper dental treatment. S. Simranjit Singh Mann has been prescribed a certain medicine-XALTAN by Pfizer company by the Head of Eye Department of the PGI for his eyes, as he has lost 40% of his eyesight in his left eye due to torture by the Indian state since 1984, after which he has been put consistently either in police or judicial custody, from Jails in Rajasthan, Behar, Delhi, UP and the Panjab. Despite his many requests the jailors did not supply him with the medicine XALTAN.We pray Your Honour will order the right legal action on the perpetrators of injustice and torture meted out to us on this petition and the last one addressed to Your Honour on 1.6.2007 through Hon’ble Judge Jain.Thanking you,Yours faithfully,Signed by the twenty Sikh prisoners:Satnam Singh Sandhu, Balwant Singh Gopal, Wassan Singh Zaffarwal, Jagir Singh, Gurjatinderpal Singh, Kashmir Singh, Hazoora Singh, S. Major Singh, Narinjan Singh, Surjit singh, Balwinder Singh , Sukhjinder Singh, Buta Singh ,Balbir singh Duleta ,Balbir Singh Kotla Khurd Dharmjit Singh, Simranjit Singh Mann, Bibi Gurdip Kaur Chatha, S. Rajinder Singh Fauji, Ch. Harbans Singh, S. Shingara Singh is in hospital in Patiala and not with us today.

Latest Breaking News from Punjab - Monday 18th June 2007

Today is the ultimatium date from Sant Samaaj to the Goverment to take action otherwise tomorrow the Sant Samaaj will carry out court arrest in protest for the deras to be closed and the head to be arrested.

National CLASH-LD WARRANT

Punjab police moves court to arrest Dera head Bathinda, In an apparent effort to cool tempers of some radical Sikh outfits demanding the arrest of Dera Sacha Sauda chief, Punjab police today moved a local court seeking arrest warrants against sect head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of Sikhs.Punjab police filed an application before duty magistrate K L Khitchi seeking arrest warrants against the dera chief."After proper investigations, we have sufficient evidence against the head of Dera Sacha Sauda about his involvemnet in hurting religious sentiments of Sikhs," Bathinda SSP Naunihal Singh told PTI.The application seeking arrest warrants for the head of Dera Sacha Sauda had been admitted in the court, he said adding the court was examining the application before handing down any order.The police decision to move court came a day ahead of the planned march by Sant Samaj, an umberalla organisation comprising some radical Sikh groups, inclduing Damdami Taksal, demanding the immediate arrest of head of Dera Sacha Sauda.Sant Samaj and Damdami Taksal chief Harnam Singh Khalsa, who is a descandant of late militant Jarnail Singh Bhinderanwale, said activists of Samaj would assemble at Fatehgarh Sahib tomorrow and march in a procession to Chandigarh where they would court arrest seeking action against Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh."Police has just moved the court seeking arrest warrants...The head of Dera must be arrested for his blasphemous act," he said.Police had beefed up security to prevent any untoward incident.A case was registered by Bathinda police against Baba Gurmeet for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of Sikhs last month.The head of Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda was embroiled in a controversy after he purportedly appeared in an advertisement attired in a dress similar to the tenth Sikh guru Gobind Singh on May 13.After the appearance of the advertisement, the border state was hit by sectarian strife in which one person was killed and over 50 injured.

No ‘naam charcha’ allowed at bhog

Sangrur,As Jarnail Singh, a follower of Dera Sacha Sauda, neither succeeded in getting Guru Granth Sahib from the village gurdwara nor could hold “naam charcha” for the bhog ceremony of his wife at Bahadurpur village, near here, today, he along with his family performed the rituals by paying obeisance to Guru Ravidass.
Earlier, after the death of his wife when Jarnail Singh had asked the village gurdwara for taking the holy book for organising a path, the management of the gurdwara had declined to give him the same in the light of a call by Akal Takht for the boycott of “premis”.
Meanwhile, heavy security arrangements were made by the police at the village. On the other hand more than 100 members of the Sikh community were also present at the village gurdwara.

Sacha Sauda issue: Sant Samaj to court arrest

Fatehgarh Sahib: The constituents of Sant Samaj, led by Baba Harnam Singh Khalsa and Baba Sarabjot Singh Bedi, today threatened to court arrest if the police did not arrest Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh by tomorrow--the deadline fixed by Sikh organisations in the state.Damdami Taksal chief Baba Harnam Singh Khalsa said the decision was taken in a meeting organised at Gurdwara Karamsar Rara Sahib.He said a five-member committee had been constituted to implement the move to court arrest in a phased manner.The move was considered significant in view of tomorrow's deadline given by radical Sikh organisations of the state for the arrest of Dera chief for his alleged blasphemous act of imitating tenth Sikh Guru Gobind Singh.Baba Harnam Singh Khalsa said that all the constituents of the Sant Samaj were unanimous about launching a ''peaceful action plan'' to impress upon the respective governments to ensure that the religious sentiments of Sikhs, hurt by the blasphemous act, were taken care of. ''Keeping in view the significance of communal harmony in the state, we have decided to start court arrest in a phased manner from June 19, in case the police fails to arrest the Dera chief by June 18. But our action plan will be purely religious and no individual or organisation will be allowed to harness political mileage out of our protest,'' he added.Mr Khalsa said activists and office-bearers of various radical Sikh religious organisations, who have gone abroad or to other states, had been asked to return to their native places so that the chain of arrests was maintained till the Baba was arrested. Sant Daya Singh, Baba Makhan Singh Tarna Dal, Baba Hari Singh Randhawa, Baba Paramjit Singh Mahalpur and Baba Haranam Singh Khalsa have been inducted in the committee to draft the programme of courting arrests.Mr Khalsa said the first 'jatha' of religious leaders would leave Fatehgarh Sahib to court arrest at Civil Secretariat at Chandigarh on Tuesday.

Sacha Sauda Row: IHRO Slams Badal and Hooda

The International Human Rights Organisation (IHRO) today said that the Parkash Singh Badal and Bhupinder Singh Hooda governments in Punjab and Haryana, respectively, had miserably failed to check the rowdy elements, who were active in the guise of Dera Sacha Sauda followers. The organisation has alleged that both the Congress and Badal were encouraging secetarian violence and lawlessness in Punjab and Haryana.
IHRO chairperson D.S. Gill, general secretary M.S. Grewal and coordinator, Legal Affairs, Sukhdev Singh Ramgarh Sibian, while speaking to mediapersons here said: “Punjab Chief Minister’s often repeated statement that “law will take its own course” is nothing but a pseudo slogan to mislead the people and to please the Centre to retain his chair.”
They said the studied silence and inaction Badal had been maintaining on the Dera “Sacha Sauda” crisis would prove to be counter-productive,” said the IHRO activist, adding that it was a total negation of the rule of law. They said that IHRO had decided to side with the Khalsa Action Committee that had taken cudgels against the on-slaught on the Sikhs and the lawlessness.

Latest Breaking News from Punjab - Sunday 17th June 2007

Sant Samaaj bodies to court arrest from June 19

FATEHGARH SAHIB: The Sant Samaaj on Sunday reiterated their ultimatum given to Punjab government to arrest dera Sacha Sauda head Baba Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh before June 18 or face the agitation by Sikhs.
The constituents of the Sant Samaj led by Baba Harnam Singh Khalsa head of Damdami Taksal and Baba Sarabjot Singh Bedi president Sant Samaj said that they would court arrest if the police does not arrest the chief by June 18. Harnam Singh Khalsa said that first jatha of religious leaders would leave Fatehgarh Sahib to court arrest at Civil Secretariat at Chandigarh on Tuesday when legislature assembly will be in session.
Baba Harnam Singh Khalsa, chief of Damdami Taksal said that this decision was taken in a meeting organised at Gurdwara Karamsar Rara Sahib recently . He said that a five member committee has been constituted to court arrest in a phased manner.
The meeting was considered significant in view of approaching deadline given by radical Sikh organisations of the state for the arrest of Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh who according to them had committed an act of blasphemy by trying to mimic the methods of tenth Sikh Guru Gobind Singh.
Baba Harnam Singh Khalsa said that all the constituents of the Sant Samaj were unanimous about starting a 'peaceful action plan' to impress upon the respective governments to ensure that the religious sentiments of Sikhs, hurt by the blasphemous act of the dera chief, were taken care of. "Keeping in view the significance of communal harmony in the state we have decided to start courting arrest in a phased manner from June 19 , in case the police failed to arrest the Baba by June 18. But our action plan will be purely religious and no individual or organisation will be allowed to harness political mileage out of our protest," said Baba Harnam Singh Khalsa.
He claimed that activists and office-bearers of various radical Sikh religious organisations, who had gone abroad or to other states had been asked to return to their native places so that the chain of arrests is maintained till the Baba is arrested.
Sant Daya Singh, Baba Makhan Singh Tarna Dal, Baba Hari Singh Randhawa, and Baba Paramjit Singh Mahalpur, besides chief of Damdami Taksal and president Gurmat Sidhant Parchar Committee Baba Haranam Singh Khalsa have been inducted in the committee to draft the programme of courting arrests.

Copies of magazine confiscated


Amritsar, The police today confiscated copies of a controversial magazine, “Shamsher-e-Kaum”, from book stalls across the city. The matter has been brought to the notice of the administration.
The cover of the latest edition of the magazine carries a derogatory sketch of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, besides that of Swami Ashutosh, head of Divya Jyoti Jagran, and Hardev Singh of the Nirankaris. SSP Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh said though copies of the magazine had been confiscated from stands, no ban had been imposed.

Controversy over ‘naam charcha’

Sangrur, Tension gripped Bahadurpur village, 4 km from here on the Sangrur-Barnala road, regarding the proposed “naam charcha” by a follower of Dera Sacha Sauda, Mohinder Singh, at the village tomorrow. The proposed “naam charcha” will be held as part of the bhog ceremony of the follower’s wife, who had died some days ago due to illness.
Heavy police force has been deployed around the village and the police is patrolling the area.
The dera follower had also reportedly asked for the bir from the village gurdwara, but the gurdwara management declined to do so.
Mohinder Singh has also complained to the police that the villagers were neither giving him Guru Granth Sahib for the bhog ceremony of his wife nor allowing him to organise “naam charcha’.

10 Dera Followers Arrested

(Bathinda) Police has arrested 10 dera followers who attacked on Sikhs as well as on police personal in Bathinda on 14 and 15 May 2007. Baljinder Lucky, Albel Singh, Rup Singh, Surjit Singh, Mul Chand, Jatinder Singh, Shera Singh, Manoj Kumar, Gurjand Singh Tailor and Satpal Singh ahs been sent to 14 day Judicial custody by Local Judicial Magistrate. They are Charged U/s 307, 323, 324, 325, 148, 149, 188, 295A for incident of 14 May and U/s 333, 353, 188, 148, 149 and 435 of IPC for incident of 15 May.

Situation Remain Tense in Village Dadu

Dera followers were trying to organize their function therefore situation remained tense. Any calsh was avaoided by local administration as dera followers were restrained from holding their function.

Meetings On for Khalsa March


A series of meetings have started in Malwa Region of Punjab to mobalize the population to take part in Khalsa March to be organized on 24 June, 2007.

Situation is Tense in Village Dadu


Tension again prevailed in Village Dadu as some dera followers attacked on a Sikh. Three persons have been booked by the police in this connection.

Gurmit Ram Rahim is back at it, Jaam-e-Insa in handBut this time, clergy, Badal, panthic lobby are all silent

Twenty-four hours before a panthic delegation was to meet Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on June 11, and at a time when the CM was ingulging in loudspeak about the achievements of his government in the first 100 days since taking over power, Dera Sacha Sauda's head Gurmeet Ram Rahim was back to his idiotic drama: distributing his Jaam-e-Insa once again in total imitation of the amrit sanchar ceremony of the Sikhs.Cocking a snook at the state government which has registered a case under 295-A of IPC (Injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class), and fortified with his newly acquired Z-plus security, murder-accused Gurmeet Ram Rahim virtually challenged the entire Sikh panth on June 10 once again, distributing his roohafza-water concoction called 'Jaam-e-Insaan' to thousands of followers in Sirsa at a huge ceremony.This time, the Sikh clergy did not issue a single statement, most panthic bodies seemed to have resigned themselves to the situation, the Parkash Singh Badal government enumerated the achievements in 100 days, not a single minister referred to what happened in Sirsa, and the issue did not come up at the meeting of the panthic delegation with Badal the next day.How deafening can silence be? When the SGPC members met the CM on June 11, less than 24 hours after the repeat act of provocation, they did talk about Dera controversy but forgot to make any noise about the previous day's developments at Sirsa and instead were keen to convince the CM that SGPC members should get the right to sport red lights atop their vehicles.


The height of the boundary wall of the Dera is also being raised. Dressed in a white kurta-pyjama with a shining red headgear, the Dera chief, himself an accused in case of molestation of young girls, was the first to drink the Jaam-e-Insa. Later, it was distributed among the followers, who had filled up a form and agreed to abide by the rules. The ritual, which began at 7 p.m., lasted an-hour-and-a half and the ceremony was shrouded in complete secrecy. Strangely, the Punjab Congress, which had been somewhat soft towards Gurmeet Ram Rahim in the attire controversy, strongly reacted to his June 10 function.All visitors and their vehicles were checked thoroughly and the height of the boundary wall of the Dera is also being raised. The local administration, too, had positioned BSF and the local police on all roads leading to the Dera.

Badal dismissive of sedition case against Bhai Daljit Singh

Chandigarh: Indicating his government's utter insincerity, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was totally dismissive of the sedition case registered against Bhai Daljit Singh of Akali Dal (Amritsar) and told him to his face that the issue was of no consequence to the government.
Badal was speaking to Bhai Daljit Singh when the latter met him as part of the larger panthic delegation led by DSGMC president Paramjit Singh Sarna on June 11. The delegation's main concern was the issue of Dera Sacha Sauda, but even here Badal had little consolation to offer.
The delegation included, apart from Sarna and Bhai Daljit Singh, Bhai Mohkam Singh, Kanwarpal Singh of Dal Khalsa, Jasbir Singh Rode, Karnail Singh Panjoli, Gurtej Singh, Harjinder Singh Dilgeer, Jaswant Singh Mann and nearly 90 other people.
The meeting at the Punjab Bhawan lasted nearly an hour but virtually nothing came of it. At one stage, Badal even chided Sarna for having supported the Congress, which, he claimed, was behind the dera nuisance.

Sedition case against unknown Khalistanis

Chandigarh, June 16: A day after two Sikh activists were nabbed for conspiring to kill Baba Piara Singh Bhaniarawala in Mohali, the Moga police today registered a sedition case against some unknown pro Khalistan persons for threatening the life of Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim and his followers.A report from Moga today said taking stringent action against attempts by terrorist outfits to regroup and target religious leaders in the state, the district police registered a case of sedition against some unknown pro Khalistani persons in view of some extremely provocative computerised posters threatening Dera Sacha Sauda followers.The move comes on the heels of the Mohali police nabbing former Bhindarawale Tiger Force (BTF) terrorist Sangat Singh Bawani’s son Gurcharan Singh ”Kala” and his accomplice Sawranjit Singh ”Bobby”, a local leader, for planning to kill controversial religious leader Bhaniarawala and forming the Khalsa Action Committee for the purpose.According to Mohali SSP Ranbir Singh Khatra, the two had confessed to the plot and a .455 bore pistol, a .30 bore revolver and two grenades were recovered from them. The duo were nabbed for attempting to snatch police weapons in Bhakhra canal siphon in Jhalliana village and loot a Kurali-based trader.According to the police, Bobby, a rape accused and Kala, an attempt to murder accused, met in the high security Nabha jail where they were pursuaded by former terrorists, including Daljit Singh Bittu, Balbir Singh Beera and Gursharan Singh Gama, associated with Kala’s father, to eliminate Baba Bhaniarawala for alleged desecration of the Sikh holy book some years ago.Bhaniarawala, who was ex-communicated by the Akal Takht, presently resides in his village Dhamana under stringent CRPF cover. The two have been booked under various sections of the IPC, Explosives Act and Arms Act and have remanded to judicial custody.Meanwhile in Moga, the district police has taken strict measures to maintain law and order and protection of the Dera Sacha Sauda followers. A sedition case was registered today under section 124-A after posters appeared on the walls of village Mari Mustfa under Baghapurana police station exhorting the Sikhs to be prepared to lay down their lives to finish off the Dera chief and wipe out his followers from the land of the Sikhs.Police and para military forces patrols were intensified in the rural areas also. The security forces, BSF, CRPF, Commandoes and Punjab Police jointly conducted a flag march in Baghapurana town in Moga district led by the DSP.

Simranjeet Singh Mann's and Wassan Singh Zaffarwal's bail applications rejected

Judicial remand extended till June 28The court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Bua Jee Sansi today rejected the bail application of Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) president Simranjit Singh Mann. His judicial remand has also been extended till June 28.
Alleging torture, Mann said the government and the police were stooping very low while treating him. He has been in jail for the last one month after being booked in a sedition case. Notably, Mann and 20 others, including Wassan Singh Zaffarwal President SAD(Z), were arrested under sections 107 and 151 of the CrPC on May 14 after they had put placards carrying photos of Dilawar Singh, who assassinated former CM Beant Singh, around the statue of Beant Singh at BMC Chowk here.
Mann didn't take bail in this case on May 14 and went to jail. Later after spending five days in jail when Mann was to apply for bail, he was booked in a sedition case. It seemed that the government didn't want that he should come out of the jail at a time when Dera Sacha Sauda issue was burning.
During arguments on the bail application, prosecution argued that Mann and others had committed a serious crime by raising slogans of Khalistan and desecrating the statue of the slain CM. But the defence argued that raising slogans did not invite sedition charges, besides a case was not made out against them according to the facts recorded in the FIR. And the judge rejected the bail application. Mann's supporters said they would now move the High Court for bail.
In the court of Duty Magistrate Sanjeeta, where his judicial remand was extended, Mann alleged that they were being tortured in the jail, and this was political vendetta of CM Parkash Singh Badal.
He alleged that electricity supply was stopped in the jail on many occasions though there were no power cuts and required medical facilities were also not being provided, despite the fact one of the activists had a kidney problem. Besides, they were brought to the court in a stinky rattletrap, he alleged.
Mann, while talking to mediapersons in the court complex, he rapped the police highhandedness in the Nurmahal case. Comparing the SAD government with that of Beant Singh, he said Badal and his family were using police against its political rivals, while during Beant's regime, police was uncontrolled. He said BIS Chahal may be wrong, but the police should not torture him.
About Sirsa dera, he alleged that Badal transferred the premis in the government service to far-off places and this instigated them.

Latest Breaking News from Punjab - Saturday 16th June 2007

Gurmit Ram Rahim is back at it, Jaam-e-Isan in hand But this time, clergy, Badal, panthic lobby are all silent

Twenty-four hours before a panthic delegation was to meet Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on June 11, and at a time when the CM was ingulging in loudspeak about the achievements of his government in the first 100 days since taking over power, Dera Sacha Sauda's head Gurmeet Ram Rahim was back to his idiotic drama: distributing his Jaam-e-Insa once again in total imitation of the amrit sanchar ceremony of the Sikhs.Cocking a snook at the state government which has registered a case under 295-A of IPC (Injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class), and fortified with his newly acquired Z-plus security, murder-accused Gurmeet Ram Rahim virtually challenged the entire Sikh panth on June 10 once again, distributing his roohafza-water concoction called 'Jaam-e-Insaan' to thousands of followers in Sirsa at a huge ceremony.This time, the Sikh clergy did not issue a single statement, most panthic bodies seemed to have resigned themselves to the situation, the Parkash Singh Badal government enumerated the achievements in 100 days, not a single minister referred to what happened in Sirsa, and the issue did not come up at the meeting of the panthic delegation with Badal the next day.How deafening can silence be? When the SGPC members met the CM on June 11, less than 24 hours after the repeat act of provocation, they did talk about Dera controversy but forgot to make any noise about the previous day's developments at Sirsa and instead were keen to convince the CM that SGPC members should get the right to sport red lights atop their vehicles.Dressed in a white kurta-pyjama with a shining red headgear, the Dera chief, himself an accused in case of molestation of young girls, was the first to drink the Jaam-e-Insa. Later, it was distributed among the followers, who had filled up a form and agreed to abide by the rules. The ritual, which began at 7 p.m., lasted an-hour-and-a half and the ceremony was shrouded in complete secrecy. Strangely, the Punjab Congress, which had been somewhat soft towards Gurmeet Ram Rahim in the attire controversy, strongly reacted to his June 10 function.All visitors and their vehicles were checked thoroughly and the height of the boundary wall of the Dera is also being raised. The local administration, too, had positioned BSF and the local police on all roads leading to the Dera.

All the satsangs of the Dera Head should be closed down - Jathedar Balwant Singh Nandgarh Takhat Shri Damdama Sahib.

Badal dismissive of sedition case against Bhai Daljit Singh

Chandigarh: Indicating his government's utter insincerity, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was totally dismissive of the sedition case registered against Bhai Daljit Singh of Akali Dal (Amritsar) and told him to his face that the issue was of no consequence to the government.
Badal was speaking to Bhai Daljit Singh when the latter met him as part of the larger panthic delegation led by DSGMC president Paramjit Singh Sarna on June 11. The delegation's main concern was the issue of Dera Sacha Sauda, but even here Badal had little consolation to offer.
The delegation included, apart from Sarna and Bhai Daljit Singh, Bhai Mohkam Singh, Kanwarpal Singh of Dal Khalsa, Jasbir Singh Rode, Karnail Singh Panjoli, Gurtej Singh, Harjinder Singh Dilgeer, Jaswant Singh Mann and nearly 90 other people.
The meeting at the Punjab Bhawan lasted nearly an hour but virtually nothing came of it. At one stage, Badal even chided Sarna for having supported the Congress, which, he claimed, was behind the dera nuisance.

Happy Hundred, Sardar Badal! Panth Be damned

It was with great fanfare that Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal listed out his government's achievements on the day the SAD-BJP/RSS regime completed its 100 days in power. It was also a day after Sirsa Dera Sacha Sauda head did a repeat performance of the so-called Jaam-e-Insa ceremony, an imitation of the Amrit Sanchar ceremony.
Independent of the lackadaisical approach of the Akali Dal, the SGPC and the government, Sikhs across Punjab were taking their line from the Akal Takht, boycotting the social functions and nam-charcha dramas of dera followers and resisting attempts by dera men to install the Guru Granth Sahib for their functions.
Clever Badal knew it was such an advent of the panthic sentiment which may prove to be his undoing. So, hours after celebrating his government's achievements (whatever they are), Badal was confabulating with the members of the SGPC, asking them to ensure that requests from anyone for borrowing the bir of Guru Granth Sahib are not denied!
Badal must be the first Sikh chief minister asking the premier religious shrine management body not to follow the directive of the Akal Takht.
In turn, the SGPC members were no less worried about the supremacy of the religious body. Their prime demand? "The SGPC members should be allowed the use of red beacon lights atop their vehicles," member after member of the SGPC urged Badal. They said the officers in the area should extended the same courtesies to them as they do to the area MLA.
"They should be included in district level grievances committees, district planning boards etc and should be allowed access to the Punjab Civil Secretariat," the SGPC members collectively demanded. Flush with happiness on his 100th day in power, Badal acceded this demand. He was, in fact, even more kind: "You can all convey your special demands to my advisor Daljit Singh Cheema." How kind!
On the same day, his attitude towards the most pressing problem of Dera Sacha Sauda's Gurmeet Ram Rahim's antics was nothing but casual. The SGPC members did not mention the fact that the man who apologized to none other than Guru Gobind Singh only a few days ago was again back to his theatre of the absurd and had carried out the ceremony only 24 hours earlier in Sirsa. Badal seems to have also forgotten the glaring reality all too conveniently.
And to the only people who could have reminded him, Badal was even more casual. That very day, he met a panthic delegation (He did. Thank God for small mercies!) He said the sedition case against Bhai Daljit Singh was a non-issue. “You know, the Congress in any case would not have registered it,” Badal told the Akali Dal (Amritsar) leader with an unimpeachable reputation. Good. Very Good. 100 days do a lot to a man if he wants to be drunk on power.
Now, let’s come to the achievements on the ground: Beant Singh’s statues dot Punjab, Simranjit Singh Mann in jail, Sukhbir Singh Badal is undisputed leader, ministry is stuffed with relatives, relations with Congress are good (Rajinder Kaur Bhattal is closer to Badal than to Amarinder Singh), Dera Sacha Sauda row is abating, clergy is in vice grip, Daljit Singh is facing a sedition case and SGPC members can hope for red lights on cars. And, oh yes, Bharat Inder Singh Chahal is nabbed. Happy Hundred, Sardar Badal. At this rate, the Indian establishment won’t grudge you a few more such occasions.

Punjab police aborts bid to eliminate self styled godman Bhaniarewala

CHANDIGARH: Punjab police on Friday claimed to have foiled an attempt by two Sikh youth to eliminate self-styled godman Piara Singh Bhaniarewala, who has been excommunicated from the Sikh religion for his alleged blesphamy acts.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mohali Ranbir Singh Khatra said that Swaranjit Singh alias Bobby General Secretary of Youth Wing of ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) unit of Ropar district a resident of Bahadarpur village and Gurcharan Singh alias Kala son of a late Bhindrawale Tigers Force (BTF) ultra Sangat Singh Bawani’s were arrested in this connection.
Both Bobby and Kala had planned to assassinate a controversial godman Bhaniarawala. They had formed a Khalsa Action Committee, in which they were recruiting the like-minded persons.
Khatra said that a .455 bore US-made 1950-model sophisticated pistol, a .30 bore revolver, its 5 live cartridges and 2 live grenades were recovered from the duo, who were still on the job to acquire more sophisticated weapons.
Divulging their reorganization and terror plans, the SSP told that both Bobby and Kala had met in Nabha high-security jail where they were lodged under rape and attempt to murder cases, respectively.
Being residents of the same district, both Bobby and Kala developed good relations in the jail, where they also came in contact with former terrorists Daljit Singh Bittu now senior vice president of SAD(Amritsar), Balbir Singh Beera and Gursharan Singh Gama, who were also lodged there.
Khatra said when Kala told Bittu that he was late ultra’s son, Bittu advised him and Bobby to do something “good” for the Sikh community. They hatched the conspiracy while in jail, SSP said.
While Bobby was released on bail over a year back, Kala was bailed out over two months back. On meeting outside jail, they started working on their Bhaniarawale’s assassination plan, on which Bobby told Kala that Bhaniarawale’s security cover has been strengthened, following which sophisticated arms and ammunitions were required to kill him.
After recovering Bawani’s hidden arms and ammunitions, they planned to snatch the arms of the Punjab Home Guard personnel on guard at Lakhmipur-Jhallian siphon of Bhakra canal near Ropar, in which they had not yet succeeded, the SSP divulged.
To raise money Kala and his accomplices tried to snatch a cash bag of a trader in Kurali on June 6, when Kala was held and during his sustained interrogation, he spilled the beans and helped the police to lay hands on Bobby as well, revealed the SSP.

Latest Breaking News from Punjab - Friday 15th June 2007

Gurmit Ram Rahim is back at it, Jaam-e-Insan in hand But this time, clergy, Badal, panthic lobby are all silent

Sikhs toughen stance against Sacha Sauda on stoning issue

Fatehabad, Tension continued to prevail in Chandpura village today with the Chandpura Gurudwara management rejecting a truce proposal by the administration to defuse the situation following stoning of the shrine by some Sacha Sauda followers on Wednesday.A meeting of the Sikh factions, presided over by Jathedar Jagroop Singh, was held in the Gurudwara today and the shrine management committee outrightly rejected the proposals and toughened its stance on the issue. The committee alleged that the ‘naam charcha ghar’ of the dera in their village had been constructed by the dera followers after encroaching upon the village gazing ground and resolved to ensure that the land was restored to the panchayat after demolishing the building. The police has already arrested six Dera followers in the connection with pelting of the Gurdwara with stones. DSP Samunder Singh, who is overseeing the police deployment in the village had approached the sikh factions with the peace proposal from some village elders. The committee informed the mediators that any decision on this issue would now be taken after directions from the Akal Takht and Takht Damdama Sahib. The Sikh factions also resolved that they would restore possession of the dera land to the panchayat with the help of local administration and in case the local administration failed to cooperate, they would go ahead with their task with the help of followers of the Khalsa Panth.

Khalsa Action Committee Memorandum to Pakash Badal

Khalsa Action Committee
Memorandum toS. Parkash Singh Badal Hon’ble Chief Minister of Panjab
On 11 June 2007
ByKhalsa Action Committee Seeking arrest of Gurmeet Ram RahimAnd banning his anti-Sikh activities in Punjab
Sikhs all over the world are seething with anger and anguish over the continued anti-social and anti-religion activities of pseudo-saint Gurmeet Ram Rahim. Imitating the dress and mannerisms of Guru Gobind Singh, administering his so-called ‘jaam-e-insan’, by creating his own seven stars, on the pattern of the ‘Panj Piyaras’ and by promulgating a code of conduct on the pattern of Sikh Rehat Maryada, this person has outraged the religious feelings of the Sikhs and no believer of Sikh faith can tolerate such sacrilegious acts.
The blasphemous acts of this one person have created a sense of unrest in Punjab. Like all Punjabis, we too are concerned that events in the last few weeks, which have enraged a large cross section of Sikhs in Punjab and all over the Sikh Diaspora has put a question mark over the overall economic development of the state.
There is no doubt that Sikh sentiments have been hurt by the blasphemous acts of this person and his cohorts. The media has added fuel to the fire by launching a tirade against the agitating Sikhs and portraying them as threat to peace.
We feel let down by the fact that in spite of an Akali government in place, the hooligans of Dera Sirsa who had a field day in Punjab for three consecutive days from 14th-16th May, 2007, beating the Sikhs, ransacking the properties of bystanders and pelting stones at the police in Bhatinda in full public view. It was a repeat and rehash of sordid events of April 1978 when the pseudo-Nirankaris acted in a similar manner.
There is now once again substantial and substantive material to prove that the proliferation of this cult is part of a grandiose plan to undermine Sikhs. While Sikhs are yet to recover from the events of the last month, comes the report that Gurmeet Ram Rahim has repeated his acts in Sirsa yesterday. His followers are making pernicious attempts to regroup and overawe the Sikhs as they did in Mandi Ahmedgarh, Moga and Ferozepur in the last few days. As you are in power it should be easy for you to decipher which forces are behind the dera. Whether it is the central government or the security agencies out to create mischief is for you to find out.
In any case, we believe that it is time for your government to launch action against the accused. A Special Investigation Team should be constituted to arrest Gurmeet Ram Rahim on the basis of the FIR filed against him at Bhatinda. A search and seize operation should be launched at Salabatpura and other deras in Punjab as Sikhs believe that they are dens of illegal arms. It is completely wrong to say that it is unconstitutional to shut down such deras which are spreading hatred and are danger to peaceful co-existence of Punjabis.
The murderer of Kamaljit Singh, named in the FIR filed in the said case, is hiding in one of the deras of this cult. The hooligans who indulged in vandalism on 14th May 2007 in Bhatinda; manhandled and mauled police personnel are also hiding in the cult deras, either in Punjab or Haryana. There is no doubt that to arrest such criminal elements, deras can be raided and sealed to secure public order and peace.
The treatment that is being doled out to him in the form of Z-plus security, barricading of his deras in Haryana and Punjab, giving him permission to hold his cultist ceremonies and registering of false cases against Sikh leaders who are agitating against the Sirsa dera chief is adding insult to injury.
The right to religion should not provide any person or group or association a right to undermine another’s faith. We believe that it is time for action. We request you not to prevaricate on the issue and instead take stern action. History bears testimony to the fact that inordinate and deliberate delays in delivering justice to Sikhs, following the events of April 1978, made matters worse.
The Khalsa Action Committee, consisting of representatives of various Sikh organizations formed recently to coordinate action against the Sirsa dera appeals that Gurmeet Ram Rahim should be arrested and all his deras should be sealed. All false cases against agitating Sikh leaders should be immediately withdrawn. We assure that all your fears can be allayed if you show the political will to allow the law to take its own course.

Paramjit Singh Sarna Dheli Sikh Gurdwara Comittee President
Bhai Daljit Singh Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) Vice President
Bhai Mohkam Singh Damdami Taksal
Kanwarpal Singh Dal Khalsa
Rajinder Singh Shiromani Khalsa Panchayat
Bhai Jasbir Singh Rode Shiromani Akali Dal (1920)
Paramjit Singh Gazi Sikh Students Federation
Baba Sukhchain Singh Sant Samaj
Karnail Singh Panjoli Member SGPC
Jagdish Singh Jeeda Member SGPC from Haryana
R. P. Singh Akhand Kirtani Jatha
Gurtej Singh, former IAS
Satnam Singh Paonta Sahib Dal Khalsa
Harjinder Singh Dilgeer Columnist Gurinder Singh Shampura Member SGPC

2 dera followers held, remanded

Sangrur, Following trouble between the followers of Dera Sacha Sauda and members of the Sikh community at Cheema Mandi (near Sunam) yesterday, normalcy returned to Cheema town today. However, with a view to maintaining law and order in the town, a flag march, led by Sunam DSP Joginder Singh, was taken out by the security forces.
While talking to The Tribune on phone, in charge of Cheema Mandi police chowki Harjinder Singh said the police had arrested Piara Singh and Bikar Singh, residents of Cheema Mandi, in connection with a case registered against them the previous day. He said they were produced in a court at Sunam today, which remanded them in judicial custody till June 28.
The Cheema chowki in charge said the police had also registered a case against eight persons by name and the mob, comprising members of the Sikh community. However some of them today joined the police investigations, he added.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim gets Z-plus security

CHANDIGARH: Dera Sacha head Gurmeet Ram Rahim will now be provided "Z-plus" security cover by the Haryana government, putting him among the ranks of the most protected VIPs in the state. The decision follows the rising Sikh anger against the self-styled baba who imitated Guru Gobind Singh and enraged even the Akal Takht. Only three other persons, Haryana Governor Dr A.R. Kidwai, Chief Min ister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and former chief minister Bhajan Lal, have been provided with Z-plus security by the state government. Officials say the committee has also given approval for the purchase of a custom-built bulletproof vehicle for the Dera head, while his request for a vehicle equipped with an electronic pulse jammer to accompany him is under consideration. Under the Z-plus security cover, he will get at least one escort vehicle, house guard and round-the-clock personal security officers. At present, the Haryana police have provided him with a security cover comprising 12 constables and a non-gazetted police officer.

Despite Sacha Sauda jolt, dera system may actually thrive now

Chandigarh: Even as the Akali Dal is still grappling about how to deal with the Dera Sacha Sauda and the SGPC has declared its intention to pump in more resources into dharam parchar in Malwa region in Punjab, the fact remains that many of the dera in Punjab, most with a Sikh appearance, have come to wield their clout only because of patronising Akali governments and a less than watchful SGPC.
Akali Dal president and CM Parkash Singh Badal is known for visiting many a deras when he was out of power, and his earlier visits to Dera Sacha Sauda are no secret. Even after the Dera in Malwa had announced its support for the Congress, Badal chose to send senior BJP leaders Arun Jaitley and Navjot Singh Sidhu to the dera to mollify Ram Rahim Singh, the dera head. The visit was public and the duo was made to wait for considerable time in full public view.
During the last stint of Badal in power, Punjab became a safe haven for many anti-Sikh deras, babas, including the RSS affliated Rashtriya Sikh Sangat and fraudulent dehdhari 'gurus' like the Nurmahal baba.
Badal himself has remained under a cloud for years now for seeking the blessings of someone like Chandraswami and holding or participating in havans and yagnas. His photographs depicting him as offering ahutis are common. Even after the latest Assembly polls, Badal visited the Bhaini darbar of Namdharis. His brusque attitude towards the Akal Takht and his role in appointing and deposing jathedars of Akal Takht has been only too well known. Then how can the Sikhs who at times chose to follow one or the other cult or sect feel inspired to rather follow the path shown by Guru Granth Sahib than any avowed by a self-styled dera man?
The ongoing troubles of the community with 'saadhs' such as Maan Singh Pehovawala and Daljeet Singh Chicago are a part of this pattern. And Akal Takht jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti's role in all this also leaves little to the imagination.
A prime example of the free hand given to the dehdhari 'gurus' is the recent unwarranted arrest of thirty odd Sikh protestors at an anti-Pehova rally recently.
Another saadh was the convicted rapist Shamsher Singh Jagherra, known to be close to Badal. He earlier worked as a caretaker of Gurdwara Sri Mastuana Sahib (Dugri Road, Ludhiana) but was relieved of his duties after his real self came to be known.
Sources said Jagherra is now again sending signals that better days will return soon after the return of Parkash Singh Badal to power.
In such a scenario, it is only a novice's guess to expect that Badal or the SGPC will decisively fight against the menace of saadh culture in Punjab. There are better chances of the reverse happening. After all, "managing" a saadh on to their side is a simpler way towards success in electoral matrix than fighting against the construct of self-styled agents of God.

Sikh Students Federation Condemns Badal

Fatehgarh Sahib, Punjab - The Sikh Students Federation strongly criticized statement of Shiromani Akali Dal president Parkash Singh Badal , ‘in which he directed SGPC members to allow dera Sauda followers’ to organize their functions and also to allow them to carry Sri Guru Granth Sahib.
SSF President Parmjeet Singh Gazi claimed that Badal’s statement is in violation of edicts of non-corporation with dera followers issued by Akal Takht Sahib on 17 May and affirmed again by all Singh Sahibs on 20 May.
SSF President, who is also a member of 15 members Khasla Action Committee, claimed that June 24 “KhalsaMarch” from Dina Kangar to Takhar Sri Damdama Sahib is a step towards implementation of edicts of Sri AkalTakht Sahib.
Gazi made an appeal to Sikh Sangat to participate in this march and to pursue Akal Takht call for social boycott of dera-followers. He also demanded immediate arrest of dera head for hurting religious feelings of the Sikh nation .

Sikh attacked by Cultists in Cheema Mandi, Sangrur

Cheema Mandi, Sangrur (KP) – The situation remains volatile in the town of Cheema Mandi near Sunam after a Sikh was viciously attacked by followers of the controversial Sirsa cultist Ram Rahim. A large contingent of Police and Border Security Forces (BSF) had to be brought in after Sikhs from surrounding areas quickly descended on the small town in protest.
The victim, Gurjant Singh Tolawal, was grabbed by his beard and attacked with swords and sharp weapons by a mob of cultists after a quarrel outside a barber shop. Gurjant Singh was questioning a shop owner, Piara Sinh, on why he was still following the teachings of the Sirsa cult when he had renounced the cult and re-converted to Sikhi. He had also accepted a siropa from the Sikh community for this act. Piara then quipped that the only use he has for the siropa is to use it to clean his barber shop. The heated argument accelerated further when Piara and Bikar, another cult follower, grabbed Gurjant Singh by his beard and began to manhandle him.
Gurjant Singh was then subsequently attacked with a sword and other sharp instruments by the duo and other dera followers. After the attackers had fled, Gurjant Singh was helped out by some good Samaritans and rushed to Suman Civil Hospital. He received more than 20 stitches and multiple injuries from the attack.
News of the tragic event spread like wildfire in the nearby area. The reaction by the Sikh Sangat was swift. Sangat from nearby towns and villages descended on the town immediately in protest of what had taken place. By the time the Sangat arrived, Piara and Bikar had already gone into hiding. The protestors, in rage, destroyed several shops and other personal property of the offending cultists.
Police is said to have cordoned off the house of the miscreants and managed to keep the protesting Sangat away from the area after assuring them that proper action would be taken against the duo and any accomplices.
A large police and BSF presence was still visible in the town and around the home of Piara and Bikkar for awhile after. The two cultists along with 10 other dera followers were eventually arrested. At least eight Sikh Sangat members were also arrested in connection to the unrest.

Rajasthan Sangat Upholds Hukamnamas against Sirsa Cult

Sri Ganga Nagar, Rajasthan (KP) – In response to the blasphemous activities of Dera Sacha Sauda leader Gurmeet Ram Rahim, local Sikh Sangat and Panthic organizations have declared a statewide ban of Dera Sacha Sauda. In addition, local Sangat has also decided to take a stand against all programs of Dera Sacha Sauda that are held in Rajasthan. Sikh Sangat of Rajasthan has constructed a thirty-one member committee that will overlook the task of boycotting Dera Sacha Sauda. At its very first meeting that was held recently by the committee, over 400 Sikh leaders held their views. It was affirmed that no Sikh in Rajasthan would be allowed to hold any kind of relation with followers of Dera Sacha Sauda and dera followers will also be barred from doing parkash of Guru Granth Sahib Ji at their programs. Bhai Tajinderpal Singh Tima, President of Shaheed Baba Deep Singh Gurdwara Committee told the press that the thirty-one member committee will play a vital role in Dera Sacha Sauda boycott by keeping all Rajasthan Gurdwaras updated by sending periodic mails about Gurmat and local politics. He said that Sikhs of Rajasthan will abide by the hukamnamas of Akal Takhat Sahib that mandate boycott of Dera Sacha Sauda in all aspects. Worldwide Panthic organizations have applauded the efforts of Rajasthani Sikhs as Rajasthan has a big majority of Sacha Sauda followers. Sri Ganga Nagar itself has a population of over six lakh dera followers. Ever since the thirty-one member committee has been formed, pictures of Gurmeet Ram Rahim have been removed from most Governmental offices in Rajasthan. Gurmeet Ram Rahim was once enjoying a celebrity status in the State and his pictures were installed in these offices. The situation in Rajasthan is believed to be under control of local Sikhs as the Government has not even allowed the dera followers to hold their sat-sang programs.

Jagtar Singh : A Victim of the Sauda Cult and the Sikh Leadership

Sangrur, Punjab (KP) - Excellent promises, mediocre execution--these are the qualities of our Jathedars. Be it the Akal Takhat Sahib, SGPC, DSGMC, the Sant Samaj or others, by far no organization has played an acceptable role in guiding the Sikh nation properly in the recent clash with Dera Sacha Sauda. As a consequence of the shortcomings of our leadership, the Sikh nation, especially the youth, faced road blocks and harsh consequences.
The same is the story of Bhai Jagtar Singh of Sangrur and many other Sikhs. Bhai Jagtar Singh, after listening to the promising speeches of our Jathedars, left for Sirsa to fulfill his Panthic duty. He is now in a miserable situation. His family, who was already in an unstable financial situation, is now trying to survive without the help of their only bread winner--Bhai Jagtar Singh is now physically unfit.
Bhai Jagtar Singh left for Sirsa soon after returning from Damdama Sahib. His motive was quite simple: avenge the desecration of Sikhi. The innocent minded Jagtar Singh had no food or money and as he entered the dera he approached the kitchen area to eat some food. Followers of Sacha Sauda were suspicious of his presence and when Bhai Jagtar Singh had just started eating, he was maligned and his belongings were searched. A mobile phone and an identification card was found from his pocket. Unfortunately, the identification card determined his identity as a Granthi Singh.
He was at once tied up with ropes and beaten harshly. Later, he was locked in a room. Dera followers showed no mercy and did not even provide any food or water. After a few days, Bhai Jagtar Singh managed to loosen the ropes. He escaped from the dera as the room attendant fell asleep. The dera followers found out about his escape and sent many men to chase him. It didn't take them very long before Bhai Jagtar Singh was in their custody again.
Once again Bhai Jagtar Singh was physically tortured, but local villagers informed the police and because of that, dera followers were left with no option but to hand Jagtar Singh to the Sirsa police. Upon arresting Jagtar Singh, he was admitted to the PGI hospital in Rohtak as he was badly injured.
The family of Bhai Jagtar Singh was informed of the arrest but due to a lack of financial resources, the family was unable to go to Sirsa. After borrowing Rs. 5,000 from a local Sangrur villager they finally made it. Much to their surprise, after reaching the hospital, the family was not able to identify their son as his hair was cut and he had bruises all over his body. After the 15 minute visit that was permitted, Bhai Jagtar Singh was again in the hands of strangers. At this point no one was willing to admit whether it was the police or the Sacha Sauda followers who had cut Bhai Jagtar Singh's hair.
The family was not able to make another trip to Haryana to see their son because during this time, no organization offered them financial support. But recently, with the grace of Guru Sahib, Bhai Jagtar Singh recovered from his physical injuries and returned home. During this time, the news of Bhai Jagtar Singh had been published in many newspapers across India, but no organization had taken the initiative in approaching his poor family to offer any kind of financial or moral support. The story of Bhai Jagtar Singh brings up an important point - Is our leadership only able to make mediocre promises?

Arrest Ram-Rahim or we will Court Arrest : Sant-Samaj

Chandigarh, Punjab (KP) – In response to Punjab Government's unnecessary interruption during the Fatehgarh Sahib march, several Panthic leaders lashed out on Parkash Badal and other Shiromani Akali Dal (B) members during a meeting held at Gurdwara Nanaksar (Ludhiana). The march that initiated from Fatehgarh Sahib finalized at Gurdwara Jyoti Saroop Sahib although according to plans, its destination was set to Chandigarh.
During the meeting at Nanaksar, all Sant Samaj leaders collectively gave an ultimatum to the government seeking arrest of Gurmeet Ram Rahim before June 18. It was decided that if the government fails to arrest the Sacha Sauda leader, Sant Samaj leaders would court arrest in front of the Chandigarh Raj Bhawan to protest government failure.
Harnam Singh Dhumma, the President and spokesperson of the Sant Samaj, said that peaceful protests will be carried out in front of the Raj Bhawan. He blamed the Punjab and Haryana State Government for being the main factor behind the violence that erupted in Punjab. While talking to the press after the three hour long meeting, Dhumma said that if the State Governments had taken appropriate steps to deal with Gurmeet Ram Rahim's case, situation in Punjab could have been kept under control
Paramjit S. Sarna, President of Shiromani Akali Dal (D) named Parkash Badal and Bhatriya Janta Party leadership as the main culprits behind the Sacha Sauda controversy. He lashed out on Parkash Badal while demanding an expedited inquiry and decision of the case. Sarna said if Parkash Badal's government fails to act in a reasonable manner, he should resign from the post of Punjab chief minister.
Daljit Singh Bittu who was representing the Shiromani Akal Dal (A) in absence of S. Simranjit Singh Mann stated that strict actions will be taken against Sacha Sauda Leader while maintaining peace in the state. Since the meeting was held before his arrest, he has asked for all Panthic organizations to meet once again in Ludhiana to discuss further course of actions.

Latest Breaking News from Punjab - Thursday 14th June 2007

Fresh clashes between Sikhs and Dera followers in Punjab

(Punjab), : Fresh clashes between Sikhs and followers of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect erupted in Punjab's Sangrur District on Wednesday evening.The clashes started at a busy marketplace in Cheema village of Sangrur District after a Sikh boy was beaten up by alleged followers of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect.
Gurjant Singh, the victim, said that he was dragged out and manhandled by the supporters of the sect."The members of the Dera sect took me out of the bus and attacked me with swords and daggers," he said.Pritpal Singh Chind, Deputy Superintendent of Police said: "Whatever has happened was not right. We have arrested the culprits and stringent action will be taken against them." Clashes between Sikhs and the sect erupted on May 14, a day after an advertisement appeared in local newspapers, showing sect leader Baba Gurmit Ram Raheem dressed up in clothes similar to that worn by Guru Gobind Singh.The Sikhs took offense and termed it as 'blasphemous'. Skirmishes between rival groups flared into mob violence when the Akal Takht -- the top body of Sikh clergies --urged the community to boycott the sect.The sect leader denied any wrongdoing and tendered an apology on May 27, saying he had absolutely no intention to imitate or replicate the Sikh guru. The Sikh clergy however, rejected the apology.The sect says it is a social organization that believes in the oneness of god and does not adhere to a particular faith, though its leader wears a turban and has a long beard in the Sikh style.

CM Direscted SGPC Members to Avoid Clash with Dera Followers

Punjab CM Badal has directed his SGPC members not to come in clash with dera followers. He has directed them not to stop dera followers from holding programs/functions and to allow them tocarry Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji to thier places if they want to do so. It is notable that as per 17 May, 2007 Resolution adopted at Sri Damdama Sahib Sikh Sangat was asked to seprate their ties from dera sauda followers. So Sikh Sangat is committed to restrain functions of dera and is implimeting a social boycott of dera followers. In this way Badal's statement to clearly against edict of Sri Akaal Takhat Sahib rather its' real intension is to nutralize the effect of May 17 and May 20 Hukumnamas of Sri Akaal Takhat Sahib.

Mob torches 2 barber shops

(Sangrur), In the wake of ongoing tussle between the followers of Dera Sacha Sauda and members of Sikh organisations over the “anti-Sikh Panth” activities of its chief, an agitated mob, comprising members of Sikh community, today burnt a rehri, belongings of two barbers and that of a house besides a motor cycle of five dera followers in the main market on the Sunam-Mansa road here.
Gurjant Singh, alias Janta of Tolawal village, near here, was today admitted to Sunam Civil Hospital as he was allegedly beaten up by two dera followers, Piara Singh and Bikar Singh, owners of barber shops at Cheema Mandi. Besides this, they also allegedly showed disrespect by pulling Gurjant Singh’s beard.
According to residents of this town, Gurjant Singh or one of his family members had reportedly asked people not to become followers of “pakhandi sadhus” in a bhog ceremony at Tolwal village, 4-km from here, three to four days ago. This angered Piara Singh and Bikar Singh. Today when Gurjant Singh came to their shops for pacifying them, they allegedly pulled his beard and beat him up. After this, people from nearby villages assembled. They burnt a rehri, a motor cycle of two dera followers and belongings of Piara Singh and Bikar Singh lying in the shops besides damaging them. The mob also burnt household goods of the dera follower. Due to this, Cheema Mandi remained tensed for hours. The shopkeepers closed their shops partially.
After the incident, BSF jawans and a large number of policemen were deployed in the town The Sangrur deputy commissioner S.R. Ladhar and SSP Arunpal Singh also visited the town. A fire brigade was also sent to this town from Sangrur.
SSP Arunpal Singh said on the complaint of Gurjant Singh the police had registered a case against Piara Singh and Bikar Singh (both followers of Dera Sacha Sauda).

Sikhs Attacked by Sirsa Cultists in Sangrur

There seems to be no let up of tensions between Sikhs and followers of cultist Ram-Rahim. Yesterday, several Sikhs were attacked by marauding Sirsa cultists in Cheema Mandi, Sangrur.
One of the victims, Gurjant Singh Tolawal, was grabbed by his beard and attacked with swords and sharp weapons. The wounded Singh received more than 20 stitches and multiple injuries, he is currently hospitalized in Sunam.
News of the tragic event spread like wildfire in the nearby area. The reaction by the Sikh Sangat was swift; several shops and other personal property of the offending cultists was destroyed by the protestors.
Police is said to have cordoned off the area and assured the Sikh protestors that proper action would be taken against the cult miscreants.

Land-Grab Bid Dera alleges MLA’s hand

Fatehgarh Sahib, Mahanats of Dera Das Nami Akhara have alleged that some miscreants were trying to grab a piece of prime property on the National Highway No.1, near Sirhind, that belonged to the dera. They alleged that this was being done at the behest of local MLA Didar Singh Bhatti.
Ishwar Giri, chief mahant of the sect, said the dera had leased a portion of its land to one Pawan Kumar, who in violation of the lease agreement further leased it to some private party. He stated that the dera moved the court, following which Kumar compromised and handed back a small portion of the leased land. He said Kumar sought some time to hand over the remaining portion of the land, pleading that he had already constructed a sheller there.
The mahant said instead, Kumar ganged up with his brothers and tried to grab the piece of land handed over to the dera by constructing a boundary wall around it. He alleged that one of his brothers Praveen Kumar, who was a proclaimed offender, even approached the sect and stated that they wanted the land for commercial purpose and that they had a partnership with the local MLA.
As the dera chief refused to oblige, the three brothers allegedly started constructing a boundary wall on the land without seeking any permission. Following this, the dera approached the district police and got the construction work stalled.
Giri stated that when they met the local legislator, he told them that he had nothing to do with the three brothers and that the sect should sort out the issue on its own.
The dera chief said now, they had decided to meet the Chief Minister to apprise him of the situation and seek his intervention in the matter.
Meanwhile, SSP Nilab Kishore, stated that he had received a complaint in this regard and the matter was being looked into.

Sikh runs riot in Sunam village
Sets ablaze kiosks of dera followers

(Sunam), June 13: It remained a highly volatile day in Cheema Mandi village, few kms from Sunam, as a mob of Sikhs went on a rampageafter a scuffle between two dera followers and a Sikh, who was injured.
Heavy police force and a platoon of BSF had to be deployed in the village, as the mob of Sikhs set ablaze two kiosks of dera followers and a motorcycle. They also damaged few other kiosks before the BSF and a posse of Punjab Police reached to control the situation.
Even as Dera Sacha Sauda and the Akal Takht are no more fanning the controversial issue, on ground level, skirmishes between dera followers and Sikhs are becoming order of the day. As per information collected by The Indian Express, a dispute started between a Sikh, Gurjant Singh, and two dera followers, Piara Singh and Bikar Singh, today around 9 am in Cheema Mandi village.
Gurjant, who sustained injuries, alleged that his beard was also pulled by the duo. Piara, it was learnt, had returned to Sikhism a few days back in a baptising ceremony held in the village gurdwara.
Piara was given a siropa during the ceremony. When Gurjant visited his shop in the morning, Piara and Bikar were talkingabout some dera satsang, it was learnt.
On this, Gurjant asked Piara to justify the rationale of accepting the siropa if he was still interested in dera satsang.
To this, Piara, a hair dresser, alleged that he had taken the siropa only to use it as a cloth to clean the shop mirrors and scissors.
This triggered the scuffle, in which Gurjant was injured and rushed to Sunam Civil Hospital.
As per information, Sikhs started to converge on the village, saying that dera followers had injured a Sikh and pulled his beard. At 11 am, Sikhs from villages Tolewala, Jharon and Teerokalan armed with lathis, swords and sharp-edged weapons started to head towards the house of Piara Singh, where he and some other followers had taken shelter.
Acting swiftly, a police party managed to save the dera followers. The agitating mob then put on fire the kiosks and a motorbike.
SP (Headquarters) Dharam Singh claimed Piara and Bikar were arrested on the complaint of Gurjant after registering of a case and 10 other dera followers and eight Sikhs were also rounded up for disrupting peace law and order.
Later in the day, BSF held flag marches in the village amidst a heavy security that was deployed around the house of Piara Singh.

Cong failed to take tough stance: Khaira

Chandigarh, In a surprise reaction Congress MLA from Bholath, Sukhpal Khaira, said today that the Congress faltered and could not take on the ruling SAD-BJP combine on the law and order situation during the Dera Sacha Sauda controversy. Even the BJP, which is an alliance partner of the SAD, took a tough stance on this, he added.
The handling of the law and order situation has been a failure and even the BJP reminded its partner sternly. Teachers are being beaten up while bullets have been fired at protesters. Khaira is a staunch loyalist of former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and had defeated Bibi Jagir Kaur to win this seat.
Khaira was talking to journalists to counter claims of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on the schemes and plans the latter had announced on completion of 100 days of the SAD-BJP combine.
He said Badal was making false claims. Could anybody believe that the World Bank-aided scheme of Rs 1,280 crore for providing potable water and sanitation in villages was planned, launched and started in these 100 days? He added that the project was cleared and okayed during the previous regime. Same, he said was true for the road widening projects worth Rs 3,035 crore. He added that Badal had been claiming that the thermal plant at Lehra Mohhabat would become functional in December. Is it possible to construct and start a thermal plant within 10 months or so, he asked? Even the claim to convert the state into California was a “day dream”. It was yet another promise that cannot be fulfilled. Badal is saying the same things for years like opening of adarsh schools and drip irrigation. No new investor was willing to come to the state while land prices have fallen. The only agenda the ruling party fulfilled was of launching a “political witch hunt”.
Badal is running the government in an obsolete manner which is yielding no results and suggested “The SAD should introspect and see who can lead them in the future”. Khaira avoided taking names.

Badal playing with fire, says Bhattal

Chandigarh, Leader of the opposition in the Punjab assembly Rajinder Kaur Bhattal here today said Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was playing with fire by keeping the dera issue on the boil in Punjab’s countryside.
Talking to a group of mediapersons at her residence, she said Badal should stop playing politics on the dera issue. “ Let us all move ahead, forgetting what happened in Punjab in the recent weeks”, she said referring to the recent happenings which had become a big threat to peace in the state. “ It appears that deliberately tension is being created in the state”, she alleged.
“Badal should look beyond vote politics and tell his party activists to work for defusing tension in the countryside. If steps are not taken by Badal to restore peace, hot-headed elements could take advantage of the prevailing situation to push the state back into the dark days which destroyed it in the 80s and 90s”, she said.

Clash between Sikhs, dera followers causes tension in Punjab village

CHEEMA MANDI(Sunam): A scuffle between the Sikh community members and dera Sacha Sauda followeres here on Wednesday has caused tension in the area.
The clash sparked when certain dera followers beat up Gurjant Singh who at a congregation in Gurdawara told Sikhs to be loyal to their religion and boycott the deras. As the report of beating up of Gurjant Singh spread, the Sikhs went on rampage and set ablaze two kiosks and a motocycle.
Gurjant, who sustained injuries, alleged that his beard was pulled by the Piara and his brother who had recently returned to Sikhism in a baptising ceremony held in the village gurdwara.
Piara was given a siropa during the ceremony. When Gurjant visited his shop in the morning, Piara and Bikar were talking about some dera satsang, it was learnt.
On this, Gurjant asked Piara to justify the rationale of accepting the siropa if he was still interested in dera satsang.
To this, Piara, a hair dresser, alleged that he had taken the siropa only to use it as a cloth to clean the shop mirrors and scissors.
This triggered the scuffle, in which Gurjant was injured and rushed to Sunam Civil Hospital.
As per information, Sikhs started to converge on the village, saying that dera followers had injured a Sikh and pulled his beard. At 11 am, Sikhs from villages Tolewala, Jharon and Teerokalan armed with lathis, swords and sharp-edged weapons started to head towards the house of Piara Singh, where he and some other followers had taken shelter.
Acting swiftly, a police party managed to save the dera followers. The agitating mob then put on fire the kiosks and a motorbike.
SP (Headquarters) Dharam Singh claimed Piara and Bikar were arrested on the complaint of Gurjant after registering of a case and 10 other dera followers and eight Sikhs were also rounded up for disrupting peace law and order.
Later in the day, BSF held flag marches in the village amidst a heavy security that was deployed around the house of Piara Singh.

Latest Breaking News from Punjab - Wednesday 13th June 2007

No move to remove Nandgarh

The SGPC chief said as of today there was no move to remove the jathedar of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib. He said it could be rumours that jathedar Balwant Singh Nandgarh would be shunted out. He also denied that the SGPC was pressurising the jathedar to resign from the post.

Makkar goes soft on dera issue Says people misunderstood SGPC

Fatehgarh Sahib, Coming out clean on the SGPC’s stand on the Dera issue, its president Avtar Singh Makkar stated that the SGPC never wanted to forcibly get the deras evicted from Punjab. He said it was sheer anger of the masses that led to wrong perception among many. Instead, the SGPC intended that the masses should boycott deras in the state so that these die a natural death, Makkar said.
Speaking to The Tribune here today, the SGPC chief said it was beyond the purview of the SGPC to capture the deras in the state by using force. He said the state government took a positive stance on the whole issue, as registration of the cases against dera chief Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh pacified the masses.
The SGPC chief, who appeared to be calm on the issue of the arrest of the dera chief, stated that the law would take its own course. He stressed that the masses should themselves see reason and boycott the deras.
He said a lawyer’s panel to pursue the issue against the dera was in the process of being constituted and it was most likely that the panel would be finalised in a day or so.
Being cryptic on the issue of Sukhbir Badal contesting legislative elections in the state, Makkar said it was not a subject matter of the SGPC and it was for Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to decide. He, however, said being the acting president of the SAD Sukhbir Badal could contest the elections as he pleased.

DGP visits Salabatpura

Salabatpura (Bathinda), In a goodwill gesture DGP, Punjab, N.P.S. Aulakh visited this town, where the main dera of the Sacha Sauda sect is located, and listened to the grievances of policemen deployed there since May 17.
The DGP, who was accompanied by IG, Patiala zone, M.K. Tiwari, DIG, Faridkot range, Jatinder Jain and SSP, Bathinda, Nau Nihal Singh, also listened the problems being faced by villagers.
Policemen told the DGP that they were not being allowed to take leave and they had been finding it difficult to meet their social responsibilities. They also informed him that they were performing their duties in extreme hot weather without any break.
The DGP told the Punjab police functionaries that the paramilitary forces would have to stay in the village for more some time.


Khalsa action Committee submits memo to Punjab CM against dera Sacha Sauda

CHANDIGARH: The Khalsa action committee formed against dera Sacha Sauda under the command of Paramjit Singh Sarna president of Delhi Sikh Gurdawara Committee on Monday submitted a memorendum to the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal seeking action against the dera head Baba Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh. We present here the text of the letter.

It says, Sikhs all over the world are seething with anger and anguish over the continued anti-social and anti-religion activities of pseudo-saint Gurmeet Ram Rahim. Imitating the dress and mannerisms of Guru Gobind Singh, administering his so-called ‘jaam-e-insan’, by creating his own seven stars, on the pattern of the ‘Panj Piyaras’ and by promulgating a code of conduct on the pattern of Sikh Rehat Maryada, this person has outraged the religious feelings of the Sikhs and no believer of Sikh faith can tolerate such sacrilegious acts.
The blasphemous acts of this one person have created a sense of unrest in Punjab. Like all Punjabis, we too are concerned that events in the last few weeks, which have enraged a large cross section of Sikhs in Punjab and all over the Sikh Diaspora has put a question mark over the overall economic development of the state.
There is no doubt that Sikh sentiments have been hurt by the blasphemous acts of this person and his cohorts. The media has added fuel to the fire by launching a tirade against the agitating Sikhs and portraying them as threat to peace.
We feel let down by the fact that in spite of an Akali government in place, the hooligans of Dera Sirsa who had a field day in Punjab for three consecutive days from 14th-16th May, 2007, beating the Sikhs, ransacking the properties of bystanders and pelting stones at the police in Bhatinda in full public view. It was a repeat and rehash of sordid events of April 1978 when the pseudo-Nirankaris acted in a similar manner.
There is now once again substantial and substantive material to prove that the proliferation of this cult is part of a grandiose plan to undermine Sikhs. While Sikhs are yet to recover from the events of the last month, comes the report that Gurmeet Ram Rahim has repeated his acts in Sirsa yesterday. His followers are making pernicious attempts to regroup and overawe the Sikhs as they did in Mandi Ahmedgarh, Moga and Ferozepur in the last few days. As you are in power it should be easy for you to decipher which forces are behind the dera. Whether it is the central government or the security agencies out to create mischief is for you to find out.
In any case, we believe that it is time for your government to launch action against the accused. A Special Investigation Team should be constituted to arrest Gurmeet Ram Rahim on the basis of the FIR filed against him at Bhatinda. A search and seize operation should be launched at Salabatpura and other deras in Punjab as Sikhs believe that they are dens of illegal arms. It is completely wrong to say that it is unconstitutional to shut down such deras which are spreading hatred and are danger to peaceful co-existence of Punjabis.
The murderer of Kamaljit Singh, named in the FIR filed in the said case, is hiding in one of the deras of this cult. The hooligans who indulged in vandalism on 14th May 2007 in Bhatinda; manhandled and mauled police personnel are also hiding in the cult deras, either in Punjab or Haryana. There is no doubt that to arrest such criminal elements, deras can be raided and sealed to secure public order and peace.
The treatment that is being doled out to him in the form of Z-plus security, barricading of his deras in Haryana and Punjab, giving him permission to hold his cultist ceremonies and registering of false cases against Sikh leaders who are agitating against the Sirsa dera chief is adding insult to injury.
The right to religion should not provide any person or group or association a right to undermine another’s faith. We believe that it is time for action. We request you not to prevaricate on the issue and instead take stern action. History bears testimony to the fact that inordinate and deliberate delays in delivering justice to Sikhs, following the events of April 1978, made matters worse.
The Khalsa Action Committee, consisting of representatives of various Sikh organizations formed recently to coordinate action against the Sirsa dera appeals that Gurmeet Ram Rahim should be arrested and all his deras should be sealed. All false cases against agitating Sikh leaders should be immediately withdrawn. We assure that all your fears can be allayed if you show the political will to allow the law to take its own course.


Sant Samaj calls meeting on June 13 on dera issue

FATEHGARH SAHIB: The meeting of Sant Samaj will be held on June 13 at Gurdwara Karamsar, Rara Sahib to discuss Dera Sacha Sauda issue.
According to Sant Samaj general sectary Hari Singh Randhawale, the meeting will be presided over by the Sant Samaj chief Harnam Singh Khalsa.
The Sant Samaj had earlier given an ultimatun till June 18 to the state goverment for the arrest of dera Sacha Sauda chief Baba Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh.
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in the meantime held a meeting with members of Shrioamni Gurdawara Parbhandak Committee(SGPC) on Monday and urged them not to rake fresh controversy over dera issue. He said that issue of dera had been sattlled with great efforts. He told the SGPC members to go to the Sikh masses to preech the teachings of Sikh gurus. He said that prioprity of his government at this stage is development of the state.

KAC Tendered Memorandum to CM: The Khasla Action Committee has tendered a memorandum to CM of Punjab and has asked him to arrest dera cheif for hurting religious feelings of Sikh Nation. BUT one thing should be made clear here that much should not be expected from Badal Government who want to defuse the whole matter at the earlist possible.

CM Direscted SGPC Members to Avoid Clash with Dera Followers: Punjab CM Badal has directed his SGPC members not to come in clash with dera followers. He has directed them not to stop dera followers from holding programs/functions and to allow them tocarry Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji to thier places if they want to do so. It is notable that as per 17 May, 2007 Resolution adopted at Sri Damdama Sahib Sikh Sangat was asked to seprate their ties from dera sauda followers. So Sikh Sangat is committed to restrain functions of dera and is implimeting a social boycott of dera followers. In this way Badal's statement to clearly against edict of Sri Akaal Takhat Sahib rather its' real intension is to nutralize the effect of May 17 and May 20 Hukumnamas of Sri Akaal Takhat Sahib.

Dear Function Stoped Near Malerkotla: Situation became tense near Malerkotla as dera sauda followers were organizing their functions and they were stoped from holding functions by Sikh Sangat lead by Sikh Students Federation local leaders. With intervension of Police and Administration situation was normalized only after dera function was stopped.

Khalsa Action Comittee : KAC would meet tomorrow (after meeting with CM) to plan the statergy to execute its' decsion to hold a march from Dina Kangar (Moga) to Damdama Sahib on 24 June. This March is to be organized with an object of spreading awairness among people against Dera Sauda. Further Actions shall be announced on 24 June, 2007.


No move to replace Takht Damdama Sahib Jathedar: Makkar

FATEEHGARH SAHIB: Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Avtar Singh Makkar said that there is no move to replace Takht Sri Damdama Sahib Jathedar Balwant Singh Nandgarh.
Talking to select media persons at Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Engineering College(BBSBEC), Fatehgarh Sahib on Tuesday Makkar said that SGPC is not pressurizing Jathedar Nandgarh to resign from post.
On closure of deras of Dera Sacha Sauda Chief, Makkar first time clarified that there was no intention of the SGPC to forcibly get the Deras closed down in Punjab. He said that the SGPC wanted that the people should themselves boycott the Deras. The SGPC was only motivated the masses to boycott the deras in polite way, Makkar said.
He said that message of Sikhism would be propagated and SGPC would attempt to being the Sikhs backs into its fold.
He said that SGPC is bound to implement the directions of Akal Takht. He said that all protest programme against Dera Sacha Sauda chief would be done in peaceful a manner.
On the arrest of the Dera Chief, SGPC chief said that law will take its own course.
He said that a committee of lawyers would be finalized within two days, which would solidly contest cases against the Dera chief. He showered praised on Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and SAD acting President Sukhbir Badal for properly handling the case of Dera chief.
He said that World Sikh University project would be soon started at Fatehgarh Sahib.
Meanwhile, the SGPC chief announced appointment of Amarinder Singh Libra, son of a former Punjab MLA Kirpal Singh Libra, as a member of the Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Educational trust.
Sirhind MLA Didar Singh Bhatti, Former Ministers Harmail Singh Tohra, Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal, Dr TP Singh , principal BBSBEC, Fatehgarh Sahibwere also present.

Latest Breaking News From Punjab - Tuesday 12th June 2007

To take action against the Dera the Khalsa Action Committe meet Badal
Paramjit Singh Sarna President Dehli Sikh Gurdwara Committe and Bhai Daljit Singh Bittu Vice President Shiromani Akali Dal Amritsar and other members of the Khalsa Action Committe go to present a memorandum to Punjab President Parkash Singh Badal in Chandigrah

Ten dera followers held

Bathinda, In its second round, the district police today arrested 10 followers of Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda, who were found to be involved in the attack made by them on members of various Sikh organisations.
Though senior police officials preferred to keep mum over the issue, confirmed reports pointed out that so far 10 followers of the dera, belonging to different areas, had been arrested. Whether the arrest of the followers, taken into custody today, had been formalised or not, could not be known.Those arrested today included Gurjant Singh, Jitin, Sherry, Sukhdev Singh, Roop Singh, Mangal, Sat Pal, Manoj and Surjeet.

Another amrit sanchar on Sept 30

Jammu, Dera Nangali Sahib chief Mahant Manjit Singh will organise another amrit sanchar samagam on September 30 in the wake of the Akal Takht jathedar's pat on his back for such a campaign.
Avtar Singh, SGPC president, who also addressed the congregation at Dera Nangali Sahib on the occasion, had announced a grant of Rs 5 lakh to the dera from the SGPC funds.
Mahant Manjit Singh told The Tribune that the Akal Takht jathedar would be attending the September 30 programme also.


‘Summon Taksal chief to Takht’

Sarmastpur (Jalandhar), Echoing the sentiments of the ousted chief sewadar of Baba Shaheedan gurdwara Bhai Manjit Singh at Sarmastpur village on the Jalandhar Pathankot road, an 11- member committee of this and surrounding villages today demanded that Damdami Taksal chief Baba Harnam Singh Khalsa, who also happens to be the president of Gurmat Sidhant Sant Samaj, should be summoned at Akal Takht and declared “tankhaiya” for “sacrilege” of Guru Granth Sahib.
President of the action committee Manohar Singh alleged that Baba Harnam Singh along with his supporters had resorted to violence for taking control of Shaheedan gurdwara a few days ago.
Damdami Taksal has been looking after Shaheedan gurdwara since 1994.

Latest Breaking News from Punjab - Monday 11th June 2007

All deras not blasphemous: Vedanti

Jammu, Akal Takht jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti said today that his edict against Dera Sacha Sauda should not lead to a notion that all deras in Punjab or other states were blasphemous.
“There are deras where Guru Granth Sahib is duly regarded and recited as per the tenets of Sikhism and these should not be mixed up with those where self-styled godmen indulge in blasphemous activities,” the jathedar said in an exclusive interview with The Tribune here.
He was in Jammu to preside over the Amrit Sanchar Samagam (congregation for baptism) at Dera Nangali Sahib.
He said such an event was a welcome step and many deras were organising such campaigns for the spread of Sikhism.
He pointed out that he was in the process of probing the activities of certain deras like Dera Noormahal of Ashutosh.
He said there were also complaints of self-styled godmen exploiting people in the name of Sikhism from places like Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Himachal Pradesh, besides Punjab and Haryana.
He blamed the mismanagement of gurdwaras at various levels, like appointing local priests as the reason for the people getting deviated to the deras.
Even though the Akal Takht jathedar expressed satisfaction over the functioning of the SGPC’s dharam parchar committee, he said the system of appointing priests in Singh Sabha or historic gurdwaras had to be reformed and regulated.
On Dera Sacha Sauda he said he was watching the role of both Centre and the Punjab government.
“We (the Sikh clergy) have begun with Punjab as there is an emergent need within the state first for taking reformative steps. We will soon summon certain self-styled godmen who are exploiting people through their anti-religious activities after identifying and exposing them before the public,” he added.

To carry out the Edict from Akal Takhat for the Closure of all the Deras the Sikhs need to get together to complete this Edict - Jathedar Balwant Singh Nandgarh Takhat Shri Damdama Sahib

CM should clarify stand on edict, says Ravi Inder

Sangrur, June 10President of the SAD (1920) Ravi Inder Singh today asked Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to clarify whether he (Badal) accepted Akal Takht’s edict regarding social boycott of Dera Sacha Sauda followers and closure of all its deras or not.
Talking to reporters here today, Ravi Inder Singh said the Badal government had failed in taking action against the dera. He said a deputation of representatives of various Sikh organisations, including Sant Samaj, SAD (1920), SAD (A), Dal Khalsa, Khalsa Panchayat, would meet Badal in Chandigarh tomorrow in this regard.
Earlier, at a meeting at the local Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Ravi Inder Singh handed over Rs 1 lakh to the family of Sunam firing victim.

Daljit Bittu himself present before police; Another case registered against him

Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) senior vice president Daljit Singh Bittu Saturday presented himself before police to join investigation at Fatehgarh Sahib police station but police refused to question him.
The court of District and Sessions Judge, Fatehgarh Sahib on June 7 stayed the arrest of Bittu after his lawyers filed bail application under section 438 of CrPC for grant of anticipatory bail in a 'sedition case’ which was registered against Bittu and others on May 31 on the statement of Fatehgarh Sahib SHO Darshan Singh. In the bail application Bittu’s lawyers also submitted that Bittu was ready to join the investigation and will make himself available.
Bittu along with activists of SAD (Amritsar) he present himself before the police around noon. Before coming to join investigation, Bittu and SAD activists raised slogans against Dera Sacha Sauda chief and demanded his immediate arrest.
Inspector Vikas Sabbarbal was present at Fatehgarh Sahib police station when Bittu came to join investigation but Fatehgarh Sahib SHO Darshan Singh was not at police station. Sources said that the Bittu showed stay orders on his arrest to police officials who told him that his requirement of joining police investigation was not mentioned in court order.
Later, Bittu’s lawyers submitted application in the court of District and Sessions Judge, Fatehgarh Sahib and told the court that Bittu was not allowed to join police investigation when he had gone to join investigation. They requested the court to direct police to allow Bittu to join police investigation.The judge fixed June 12 for hearing of the application. It may be mentioned here that the court had stayed Bittu’a arrest till June 12.

Another Sedition case registered against Bittu Talking to media persons at Fatehgarh Sahib police station, Daljit Singh Bittu said that Punjab police is registering false cases against him and other party activists only to make pressure. He said that earlier Fatehgarh Sahib police registered false case of sedition against him but now Amritsar police had also secretly registered similar case against him. He said that people know that he had no fault but false cases were registered against the behest of SAD Acting president Sukhbir Badal.Bittu said that Punjab government had now showed any interest in interest of Dera Sacha Sauda chief which had exposed Parkash Singh Badal led government. He said that his party and like minded persons are bound to implement the directions of Akal Takht at any cost. He said that a high level committee would meet Badal on June 11 to make pressure on the government to take action against Dera Sacha Sauda chief.

Action Committee to Meet CM tomorrow: A delgation of 101 representatives of various Sikh organizations shall meet Cheif Minister of Punjab tomorrow at Chandigarh under leadersip of Khasla Action Committee.

KAC Meeting on 11 June: KAC would meet tomorrow (after meeting with CM) to plan the statergy to execute its' decsion to hold a march from Dina Kangar (Moga) to Damdama Sahib on 24 June. This March is to be organized with an object of spreading awairness among people against Dera Sauda. Further Actions shall be announced on 24 June, 2007.

Return to Sikhi Fold Continue: Since the dera sauda head gurmeet ram raheem insaan's Jaam-e-insaan conroversy has arrisen, many people are detaching their ties with dera sauda and are returning to Sikhi. Some consiter this as a temporary phinomina and say that it is motivates by many temporary factors, while others beleive that continuance of it shows that it is not a temporary phinomina and people mislead by dera are becoming awair of misdeeds of dera, so they are returing to their home

Incident of Clash Near Bhucho Kencian and Related News: News reports came that situation is tense at Bhuchon Kenchian, as a dera follower burnt "Gurbani Pothis" and gave a grave provocations to Sikhs living in that area. Consiquently that drea follower was burnt by some Sikh Youth. Police has registered a case of Attempt to Murder (U/s 307 of IPC) against named persons. More details are not available yet.

Agnivesh's New Statement and its' Criticism On 07 June 2007 Arya Samaji Swami Agnivesh Claimed that Dera Sauda controversy with Sikhs is over now. He claimed that he shall try to bring both sides closer to each other in coming future. This Statement is Sham, baseless and mis-guiding. Sikh Students Federation Clerified through a press release that the struggle against dera saud shall continue untill edics of Sri Akaal Takhat Sahib are implimented.


SGPC mediation sought

Jammu, The Jammu and Kashmir Gurdwara Parbandhak Board (JKGPB) has urged SGPC president Avtar Singh to take up the demand of the Sikhs here with the Centre for access to the historic gurdwaras in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK).
“It is essential to ensure the upkeep and sanctity of the Sikh shrines in Muzaffarabad and Mirpur districts in the POK, which is possible only when the Sikhs have easy access to such places,” the JKGPB president and member of the state’s legislative council Tirlochan Singh Wazir stated in a memorandum submitted to the SGPC chief during the latter's visit to Jammu here.
The SGPC president had assured the gurdwara board members that he would take up the matter with the Central government, Wazir said at a press conference here today.
He said the SGPC president had also been urged for the establishment of a technical college in Jammu for which, he added, the land would be provided by the JKGPB.

Latest Breaking News from Punjab - Sunday 10th June 2007

The Saucha Saudha Head will not be allowed to do satsang - Jathedar Balwant Singh Nandgrah Takhat Shri Damdama Sahib.

Murder Case 5 dera men to be charged

Ambala, Special Judge, CBI court, Ambala, R.K. Saini ordered the framing of charges against five members of the Dera Sachha Sauda, Sirsa, in Ranjeet murder case here today.
The five persons are Kishan Lal, Avtar Singh, Inder Sain, Sabdil Singh and Jasbir Singh.
Also, arguments on the bail application of Avtar Singh were held today. The arguments will now be heard on June 11.
Ranjeet, a Kurukshetra resident, who was part of a 10-member management committee looking after the functioning of the dera, was murdered on July 10, 2002.
It was believed that some of the dera functionaries suspected Ranjeet’s involvement in the circulation of an anonymous letter that carried several charges against the dera chief.
The police arrested dera manager Krishan Lal and four others in this regard.
Later, on the directions of the High Court the investigation was handed over to the CBI.
The CBI filed its first charge-sheet in the court in November, 2005. A supplementary charge-sheet was filed in January, 2006.
The CBI also recovered the car and the weapon used in the murder of Ranjeet.
The CBI is already investigating two other cases against dera, one involving the murder of Sirsa-based journalist and another for sexual exploitation of a woman disciple.

Daljit Bittu himself present before police; Another case registered against him

Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) senior vice president Daljit Singh Bittu Saturday presented himself before police to join investigation at Fatehgarh Sahib police station but police refused to question him.
The court of District and Sessions Judge, Fatehgarh Sahib on June 7 stayed the arrest of Bittu after his lawyers filed bail application under section 438 of CrPC for grant of anticipatory bail in a 'sedition case’ which was registered against Bittu and others on May 31 on the statement of Fatehgarh Sahib SHO Darshan Singh. In the bail application Bittu’s lawyers also submitted that Bittu was ready to join the investigation and will make himself available.
Bittu along with activists of SAD (Amritsar) he present himself before the police around noon. Before coming to join investigation, Bittu and SAD activists raised slogans against Dera Sacha Sauda chief and demanded his immediate arrest.
Inspector Vikas Sabbarbal was present at Fatehgarh Sahib police station when Bittu came to join investigation but Fatehgarh Sahib SHO Darshan Singh was not at police station. Sources said that the Bittu showed stay orders on his arrest to police officials who told him that his requirement of joining police investigation was not mentioned in court order.
Later, Bittu’s lawyers submitted application in the court of District and Sessions Judge, Fatehgarh Sahib and told the court that Bittu was not allowed to join police investigation when he had gone to join investigation. They requested the court to direct police to allow Bittu to join police investigation.The judge fixed June 12 for hearing of the application. It may be mentioned here that the court had stayed Bittu’a arrest till June 12.


Makkar holds closed door meeting with Damdami Taksal head on dera issue

ANANDPUR SAHIB: Shiromani Gurdawara Parbhandak Committee(SGPC) president Avtar Singh Makkar on Friday night held a closed door meeting with Damdami Taksal head Baba Harnam Singh Khalsa here at Takht Kesgarh Sahib over dera Sacha Sauda issue.
The meeting continued for aboutone a half hour. Amarjit Singh Chawla former member of State Public Commission was also present in the meeting. It is belived the Sikhleaders have discussed future course of action against dera Sacha Sauda. While talking to the media persons, Baba Harnam Singh Khalsa and SGPC President Avtar Singh Makkar confirned that they have considered several matters regarding Dera Sacha Sauda in the meeting. SGPC President said that they will form a panel of 20 advocates to contest the cases against Sikhs registered during Dera Controversy and lawyers of Bhathinda have already started their work. Makkar said that SGPC and Sant Samaj will jointly implement the call of boycott of Dera by Akal Takhat.While answering a question regarding Parmjeet Singh Sarna, Makkar said that he has to go to Delhi as people of Punjab do not like him.

Dera Head given highest security

Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh will be given a Z-plus security cover by the Haryana government …this makes Dera chief one of the most protected people in the state after Governor AR Kidwai, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and former chief minister Bhajan Lal.
A state-level review committee approved a custom-built bulletproof vehicle for the Dera head. His request for an electronic pulse jammer vehicle — one that stops remote controls from being operated in its vicinity — to accompany his carcade is also under consideration.
Reaction :
15-member Khalsa Action Committee convenor Paramjit Singh Sarna said, “It is most unfortunate that a person facing criminal charges, including rape, blasphemy, land-grabbing and murder, has been provided security cover meant for a VVIP.’’


Punjab police book Bittu in another sedition case

FATEHGARH SAHIB: The Amritsar police reported to have registered another case of sedition against Daljit Singh Bittu senior vice president of Shiromani Akali Dal(Amritsar) who is already facing a sedition case for raising Khalistan slogans during protests against dera Sacha Sauda.

Bittu said on Saturday that Punjab police is registering false cases against him and other party activists only to make pressure. He said that earlier Fatehgarh Sahib police registered false case of sedition against him but now Amritsar police had also secretly registered similar case against him.
He said that people know that he had no fault but false cases were registered against the behest of SAD Acting president Sukhbir Badal.
Bittu said that Punjab government had now showed any interest in interest of Dera Sacha Sauda chief which had exposed Parkash Singh Badal led government. He said that his party and like minded persons are bound to implement the directions of Akal Takht at any cost . He said that a high level committee would meet Badal on June 11 to make pressure on the government to take action against Dera Sacha Sauda chief.

Punjab Latest Breaking News - Saturday 9th June 2007

Attack on Singhs house who made a complaint and a case was registered against the Dera Cheif

Bathinda, The house of Rajinder Singh Sidhu, on whose complaint a criminal case was registered against Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim, head, Dera Sacha Sauda, was attacked by certain persons late last night.
Rajinder fired two shots in the air and challenged the attackers, who fled after Rajinder challenged them. Before fleeing, they, who were four in number and had come on two scooters, smashed the panes of his car and windows of his house.
Acting promptly on the complaint of Rajinder, the district police provided him with seven gunmen. While five would guard his house at Hazura Kapura Colony here, two had been given to him for his personal security.
A report was registered at the city police station under Section 427, IPC, in this regard. A delegation of various Sikh organisations met district police chief Nau Nihal Singh, urging him to nab the culprits at the earliest.
Recollecting the event, Rajinder said he came to his house around 11 pm. He said one of the attackers abused him and then started pelting his house with stones.
Meanwhile, a section of SGPC officials recorded their statements with the police in connection with the criminal case registered against the baba.

Vedanti, SGPC chief meet

Amritsar, Jathedar, Akal Takht, Joginder Singh Vedanti and SGPC chief Avtar Singh today held a closed door meeting here today to resolve their difference following the controversy over the bringing of Guru Gobind Singh’s Kalgi (sacred crest) from Canada. The meeting was arranged by senior functionaries of the SGPC at the information office of Darbar Sahib.
However, an official press note, issued by the SGPC denied that the SGPC chief and jathedar, Akal Takht, had crossed swords on any issue.


Use Shastar and Shaastar to fight deravaad: Vedanti, Sant Harnam Singh Dhumma Ji Jathedar Damdami Taksal and Bhai Daljit Singh Shiromani Akali Dal Amritsar

AMRITSAR: Top Akali Dal leadership was virtually missing totally from the function held at Akal Takht Sahib on June 6 morning (India time) to observe the 23rd anniversary of Operation Bluestar where Jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti gave a call to use both "Shastar and Shaastar" (arms and scriptures) to fight against the menace of deravaad which is eating into the innards of Sikhism.
While no slogans were raised, many placards announcing 'Khalistan Zindabad' and "Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale Amar Rahe' were placed all over the place and many families of those martyred during the Operation Bluestar had converged at the Akal Takht to observe the day from which the ruling Akali Dal kept a safe distance.SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar was present but did not make any speech on the occasion while Vedanti read out a carefully crafted statement as his message to the Sikh quom which was a lot of word play and an exercise in political correctness. Vedanti said the Sikh history was full of many instances of sacrifices.The Akal Takht jathedar made it clear that come what may, the dera heads of Sacha Sauda Sirsa, Ashutosh and Bhaniarawala will not be spared. "Kade vi nahi bakhshe jaan ge," he said.Damdami Taksal chief Harnam Singh Dhumma was also present, as were Bhai Daljit Singh of Akali Dal (Amritsar) and Kanwarpal Singh of Dal Khalsa. Bhai Daljit Singh made a short speech after the official function was over and the sangat sat peacefully in rapt attention listening to his speech.The Damdami Taksal is also observing the day separately at Chowk Mehta where the bhog of Sri Akhand Path was to be organized. Advertisements were placed about the event by the Taksal in various Punjabi newspapers in the region.

Khalsa Action Committee

Meeting of Panthic Organizations: Meeting of various Panthic organizations held at Gurudwara Shaheedan (Model Town) Ludhiana . Besides representatives of various Panthic organizations five representatives of Sant Samaj participated in the meeting. Sugessions from representative were taken and some unanimous decisions were formed.Support of Sant Samaj's Program: Meeting extended its support to the Programs drafted by Sant Samaj in its' meeting held on 02 June.15 Member Khalsa Action Committee Formed: After discussion the need for a central body to take collective decisions on the dera sauda issue and to plan future actions was realized and therefore a committee of 15 members is formed. S. Parmjeet Singh Sarna (Akali Dal, Delhi) is elected as Co-ordinator of the committee. Bhai Daljit Singh bittu (Akali Dal Amritsar) is elected as sub-coordinator cum-Spokesperson of Khalsa Action Committee. Members of Khalsa Action Committee:-
S. Parmjit Singh Sarna (Akali Dal Delhi)S. Daljit Singh Bittu (Akali Dal Amritsar)S. Jasbir Singh RodeS. Harinder Singh NorwayBaba Baljit Singh Daduwal (Sant Samaj)Baba Sukhchain Singh Dharmpura (Sant Samaj)S. Parmjit Singh Gazi (Sikh Students Federation)S. Kanwarpal Singh Bittoo (Dal Khalsa)S. Karnail Singh Panjoli (SGPC Member)S. Rajinder SIngh (Khlasa Pnchayat)S. R.P. Singh (Akhand Kirtani Jatha)S. Raghubir Singh (Majha Akali Dal)S. Jagdish Singh Jinda (SGPC Member, Haryana)S. Simranjit Singh Maan (Akali Dal Amritsar)


AISSF demands to call Sarbat Khalsa on dera issue

PATIALA: The All India Sikh Students Fedration(AISSF) headed by Karnail Singh Peer Mohammad and other like minded Sikh organizations Friday appealed to Akal Takht Jathedar to convene Sarbat Khalsa (Sikh convention) to chalk out strategy and take Sikh Sangat into confidence before making any future decisions regarding the plans to end Dera system.
Peer Mohammad stated that the present dera Sacha Sauda issue was a religious issue which is to be handled by Takht Jathedars in coordination with all the Panthic organizations, but it is unfortunate that the whole issue is being hijacked by Punjab Government and is being handled by State machinery while shielding the culprits who have played with sentiments of Sikh Sangat.
The panthic organizations are being directed by Indian Government and the religious sentiments of Sikh Sangat are being ignored. These panthic organizations are changing their plans at the behest of the State government to please their political masters.
He said that SGPC has failed to establish its supremacy in advancing the Sikh religion and protecting the traditions of Sikhs. The SGPC is controlled by some vested interests who are more into politics than protecting and advancing Sikh religion. They appealed to Sikh masses that criterion to choose representatives for SGPC should not be politically motivated rather religion should be priority in choosing SGPC members.

Banda Bahadur Anniversary Vedanti to address congregation today

Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti and “Singh Sahibaans” of four other Takhts will address a congregation being held here tomorrow to commemorate the death anniversary of Banda Singh Bahadur, who hailed from Rajouri.
SGPC president Avtar Singh will also address on the occasion, which is being marked by “rain sabai kirtan darbar” at Gurdwara Singh Sabha in Nanak Nagar.
Banda Singh Bahadur and his warriors attained martyrdom in 1716 near Qutub Minar in New Delhi during the reign of Farrukh Siyyar, who had succeeded the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar.
The anniversary is being organised by the Jammu-Kashmir State Gurdwara Management Board and the Jammu District (Ad hoc) Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. Besides, the high priests and the SGPC chief are also scheduled to take part in the “Amrit Sanchar Samagam” (a congregation for baptising the Sikhs), which the SGPC’s Dharam Parchar Committee will organise along with Dera Nangali Sahib chief Mahant Manjit Singh, on June 10.
Local Sikh bodies were looking forward to submit their representations to the Akal Takht Jathedar and the SGPC chief on issues like row over the decorum at Dera Nangali Sahib and the mushrooming of other deras in the region.
The Akal Takht Jathedar and the SGPC chief had brushed aside the appeal of a Sikh delegation to organise the 'Amrit Sanchar Samagam' at a gurdwara instead of holding such a sacred event at any dera.

Charges framed against four in Dera member's murder

AMBALA: A CBI court on Saturday framed charges against four members of the Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda in connection with the murder of one of the sect's management committee members five years ago. Special Judge R K Saini framed charges against the four -- Krishan Lal, Avtar Singh, Inder Saini and Jasbir Singh -- in the murder of one Ranjeet, one of the ten members of the high powered management committee of Dera, on July 10, 2002. The arguments on framing charge against another accused in the case, Sabdil, will be heard later. The bail application of Avtar Singh was also heard today which was adjourned for June 11. Some functionaries of the Dera had suspected that Ranjit was behind the circulation of an anonymous letter in which various allegations had been levelled against the sect head Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh, who was recently embroiled in a controversy over his alleged insult to tenth Sikh Guru Gobind Singh. The police had arrested Krishan Lal, the manager of the Dera and four others in connection with the murder case in August 2002. Later, on the direction of Punjab and Haryana High Court, the investigation was handed over to the CBI. CBI had filed its chargesheet in this court in November last year. A supplementary chargesheet was also filed in January 2006. The CBI had also recovered a car and the weapon used in the murder of Ranjeet. The agency is already investigating two other cases against the Dera including murder of Sirsa-based journalist and charges of sexual exploitation of a 'sadhvi'.

Parnaam Shaheeda Nooh. The Shaheeds that fought for the truth and justice in 1984 all over the World we can only truly pay respect to the shaheeds if we keep thier mission alive if we fight against injustice and we fight for freedom. Sikhs wakeup! We want freedom and we want to be recongnised as a seperate religion because our language, our culture, our history is different and all Sikhs want is peace and freedom from False Leaders.

Breaking News From Punjab - Friday 8th June 2007

AISSF demands to call Sarbat Khalsa on dera issue

Patiala: The All India Sikh Students Fedration(AISSF) headed by Karnail Singh Peer Mohammad and other like minded Sikh organizations Friday appealed to Akal Takht Jathedar to convene Sarbat Khalsa (Sikh convention) to chalk out strategy and take Sikh Sangat into confidence before making any future decisions regarding the plans to end Dera system.
Peer Mohammad stated that the present dera Sacha Sauda issue was a religious issue which is to be handled by Takht Jathedars in coordination with all the Panthic organizations, but it is unfortunate that the whole issue is being hijacked by Punjab Government and is being handled by State machinery while shielding the culprits who have played with sentiments of Sikh Sangat.
The panthic organizations are being directed by Indian Government and the religious sentiments of Sikh Sangat are being ignored. These panthic organizations are changing their plans at the behest of the State government to please their political masters.
He said that SGPC has failed to establish its supremacy in advancing the Sikh religion and protecting the traditions of Sikhs. The SGPC is controlled by some vested interests who are more into politics than protecting and advancing Sikh religion. They appealed to Sikh masses that criterion to choose representatives for SGPC should not be politically motivated rather religion should be priority in choosing SGPC members.

Court stays Bittu's arrest in sedition case

FATEHGARH SAHIB: The court of District and Sessions Judge, Fatehgarh Sahib Thursday stayed the arrest of Shiromani Akali Dal(Amritsar) senior vice president Daljit Singh Bittu who has been booked by Punjab government in case of sedition for raising slogans of Khalistan during protests against dera Sacha Sauda.

Bittu's lawyers filed bail application under section 438 of CrPC for grant of anticipatory bail on June 6 . The judge heard the application tody and stayed Bittu's arrest till June 12.
Fatehgarh Sahib police had registered a 'sedition case' against Bittu and others on May 31 on the statement of Fatehgarh Sahib SHO Darshan Singh. It was alleged in the FIR that Bittu and his colleagues came in front of bus and stopped it and raised slogans of 'Khalistan Zindabad', 'Sant Jarnail Singh Bhinderwale Zindabad', 'Sant Bhinderawale Teri Souch Te Pehra Devange Thok Ke' and used the words traitors against the members of 11 members of committee sitting in bus, which was going to submit memorandum to Governor against Dera Sacha Sauda chief. It was also alleged in FIR that they also raised abusive language against the committee members .
Though case was registered against Bittu on May 31 but he attended public function as routine. He along with other hardliners Dal Khalsa's Kanwarpal Singh and Karnail Singh Panjoli was a part of committee headed by Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Paramjit Singh Sarna even had gone to submit memorandum to Punjab Governor against Dera Sacha Sauda chief but security staff of Governor did not allow Bittu , Kanwarpal and Panjoli to meet Governor but did not arrest Bitu, who was wanted by Fatehgarh Sahib police in 'sedition' case. He also attended meeting of Sant Samaj and attended a function related with Operation Blue Star in Amritsar recently but police did not arrest him. Today his lawyers filed bail application .
Bittu's lawyers in his bail application submitted that on the directions of Akal Takht Jathedar various Sikh organizations and sikh community at large took part in peaceful procession against the activities of Dera Sacha Sauda from Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib to Gurdwara Jyoti Swarup on May 31, which remains peaceful throughout a day.
As per the bail application, there is a political ravellery between ruling Shiromani Akali Dal(Badal) and SAD(Amritsar). So, the workers of SAD(A) are being victimized by the government at various level and they are being involved in false cases.
As per the bail application , as the matter involved in protest march relates to Sikh religion, the SAD(Badal) was fearing that SAD(Amritsar) can get the political advantage due to Sikh sentiments against Dera Sacha Sauda by leading the procession. So, under the frustration, Bittu and his colleagues have been involved in a false case by Fatehgarh Sahib police on the directions of the ruling party.
It was alleged that a false and concocted story has been prepared in the FIR registered against Bittu and others . It was claimed that no violence has took place on May 31 during the procession. Feelings of any community was not hurt during the procession. Procession remains peaceful through out a day as evident from various news papers.
As per the bail application , FIR has been lodged by Inspector Darshan Singh and not by any private person which shows that not a single member of any community shown his resentment against Bittu or against slogans of any person from the procession.
The defence counsel said that if allegations made in the FIR are believed in toto, no offence is made out as mere demand of Khalistan does not attract the provision of section 124-A, 153-A, 505 of the IPC as held by Apex Court and Punjab and Haryana High Court in number of cases.
As per Bittu lawyers Hardev Singh Rai and Gurpreet Singh Saini, Bittu is ever ready to join the investigation and will make himself available .

Hardliner Sikhs condemn Z-plus security for dera Sacha Sauda Chief

CHANDIGARH: Condemning the Haryana government for providing Z plus security cover to Sirsa Dera chief Gurmit Ram Rahim, the newly constituted 15-member Khalsa Action Committee Thursday resolved to take the fight against the Dera Sacha Sauda to its logical conclusion.
The resolution condemning the decision of Haryana government was passed in an emergency meeting held here.
Releasing the decisions of the meet to the media the committee convenor Paramjit Singh Sarna said it was most unfortunate that a person who was facing criminal charges including rape, blasphemous, land grabbing and murder has been provided the security cover meant for VVIP. He said by doing so the Haryana government has rubbed salt on the wounds of the Sikhs. He said the acts of dera chief tantamounts to undermining the Sikh principles and ethos. He said the struggle against the dera chief would continue until Gurmit Ram Rahim was put behind bars for hurting Sikh sentiments.
He said that a delegation of Khalsa Action Committee would soon meet the Haryana Chief Minister to lodge its protest besides demanding a legal action against the Dera chief. He said they would also meet the concerned authorities in the Union government.
Accusing the Congress for adopting double standards on the issue, Kanwar Pal Singh said the successive governments of Congress both at Centre and states has been patronizing the Dera chief in order to create divisions amongst the Sikh community. He said a delegation of 101 members would be meeting the Punjab chief minister on Monday (June 11) to urge him to arrest Dera chief without delay and also to close his deras in Punjab by declaring them ‘illegal’. He said a march would be taken from Dina Kangar (Moga) to Talwandi Sabo on June 24 to mobilize the masses.
In another resolution, the meeting condemned the state government for registering ‘false’ cases against those Sikhs who were zealously agitating against the Dera Sacha Sauda. The matter would be taken with CM by members of the committee on June 11, said he.
Daljit Singh Bittu took Punjab CM to task for not discharging its constitutional responsibility so far. He ruined that three weeks have passed since the Dera chief insulted the religious sentiments of the Sikhs and not a single step has been initiated to arrest the baba.
He said an advisory board has been set up comprising Gurtej Singh, Prithipal Singh Kapur, Manjit Singh Calcutta, Dr Gurdharshan Singh Dhillon, Narien Singh and Harjinder Singh Dilgheer.
Others who were present in the meet were Rajinder Singh Chandigarh, Bhai Mokham Singh, Bhai Jasbir Singh Rode, Karnail Singh Panjoli, Harinder Singh Norway, Baba Baljit Singh Daduwal, Baba Sukchain Singh (Sant Samaj).

Sikh leaders protest to Punjab Governor for refusing to meet them

CHANDIGARH: Daljit Singh Bittu Senior Vice President of SAD(Amritsar) and Kanwarpal Singh general secretary of Dal Khalsa Thursday wrote a protest letter to Punjab Governor Gen(Retd) S.F.Rodrigous for refusing to meet them alongwith a delegation of Sikhs on dera Sacha Sauda issue.

The contents of the letter are as follow: We write to you to protest the role of the security agencies advising you not to include our names amongst the Sikh political leaders who met you yesterday to raise the issue of blasphemy by the pseudo-saint Gurmeet Ram Rahim and his dera in Sirsa.
Ostensibly you did not meet us because there are sedition cases pending against us and this is what your ADC told the leader of the delegation, Paramjit Singh Sarna, president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee.
We would like to humbly submit to you that your officers and you have badly erred in making such a judgment. You are the first citizen of the state and it is your duty to listen to the complaints and concerns of all categories of citizens, including those who are rebels in the eyes of respective governments. Your denial violates the spirit of democracy and the law of the land which holds every person innocent till proven guilty.
We have dedicated our lives to zealously work for the political aspirations of the Sikh nation and serve the cause of upholding the social, religious and political rights of the Sikh people. Our views are diametrically opposite to that of the mainstream Indian political thought. Whether holding such views constitutes sedition is subjective upon which side of the fence you are.
Ethnic peoples and nationalities, like Sikhs, Kashmiris, Nagas and the neighbouring Tamils enjoy the audience of a host of political leaders, both within governments and at the United Nations. The Indian Prime Minister, the defence minister and a host of senior bureaucrats regularly meet NSCN leaders, who make no bones about demanding a separate Nagaland. Every other day the media reports about covert overtures being made to the Hurriyat leadership for talks on the issue of Kashmiri sovereignty!
As you followed inaccurate and biased advice of your officers, you set a wrong precedent. If state governments act beyond the ambit of law and governors become rigid and biased, then to whom will the dissident or the political opponent approach? Is it being suggested or implied that every time there is an injustice we should knock the doors of courts?
As we were part of a delegation which was to call upon you to raise a very sensitive issue, it was a time to show sagacity and large-heartedness. Instead we were shown the door. Though no further proof was required, but the legitimacy of our fight was more than confirmed by the treatment meted out to us. While we are hurt by the ignominy hurled upon us, in keeping with our tradition we have taken it in our stride. We will wait till better sense prevails.
Thank you.

Another Case on Bhai Daljit Singh at Shri Amritsar

As the Fatehgarh Sahib Court has stayed the arrest of Bhai Daljit Singh Bittu on 06 June, Amritsar Police has registered a case of offence against public tranquility on Bhai Daljit Singh Bittu Under Sections 153A and 153B of Indian Penal Code 1860 (45 of 1860). This case is registered on late evening of 07 June. Police takes the plea that Bhai Daljit Singh made provocative speech on 06 June at Sri Akaal Takhat Sahib in a Samagam organized in the memory of June '84. Now it is clear that State is trying its best to trap Bhai Daljit Singh in order to defuse Sikh Movement Against Dera Sauda.

Vedanti, SGPC chief endorse move

Jammu, Rejecting the plea of a Sikh delegation from Jammu for boycott of Dera Nangali Sahib, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) chief Avtar Singh have endorsed the move of the Dera chief Mahant Manjit Singh to organise “Amrit Sanchar Samagam” here on June 10.
The Akal Takht Jathedar would be presiding over the samagam along with the high priests of the four other Takhts. Around 11,000 Sikhs would be baptised by the Sikh clergy at the samagam.
On the heels of the Dera Sacha Sauda controversy, a Sikh delegation, under the aegis of the Jammu District (ad hoc) Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (JDGPC), had called on the SGPC chief and also the institution of the Akal Takht at Amritsar, opposing the event, raising their objections to the practices followed at the dera here.
“The Singh Sahibans (high priests) and the SGPC president are coming to Jammu for the Amrit Sanchar Samagam,” a spokesman for the SGPC told The Tribune here on the phone from Amritsar.
According to sources, SAD president and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had advised the SGPC chief to stay away from the dera chief’s event, after the Sikh delegation from Jammu had called on the latter with the proposal that the “Amrit Sanchar” be organised by the SGPC along with the J&K State Gurdwara Board or the local Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, and not by any dera chief.
Meanwhile, at an emergency meeting here today, JDGPC general secretary Gurdev Singh, Jammu-Kashmir State Gurdwara Board president Tirlochan Singh Wazir, Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) Jammu unit chief Harjinder Singh Raina and other Sikh leaders expressed their concern over the rebuttal of their appeal to the Akal Takht Jathedar and the SGPC chief.

Punjab Latest Breaking News - Thursday 7th June 2007

Arrest Baba Raam Raheem or the Sant Samaaj will carry out Court Arrest

Chandigarh, In response to Punjab Government's unnecessary interruption during the Fatehgarh Sahib march, several Panthic leaders lashed out on Parkash Badal and other Shiromani Akali Dal (B) members during a meeting held at Gurdwara Nanaksar (Ludhiana). The march that initiated from Fatehgarh Sahib finalized at Gurdwara Jyoti Saroop Sahib although according to plans, its destination was set to Chandigarh.
During the meeting at Nanaksar, all Sant Samaj leaders collectively gave an ultimatum to the government seeking arrest of Gurmeet Ram Rahim before June 18. It was decided that if the government fails to arrest the Sacha Sauda leader, Sant Samaj leaders would court arrest in front of the Chandigarh Raj Bhawan to protest government failure.
Baba Harnam Singh Dhumma, the President and spokesperson of the Sant Samaj, said that peaceful protests will be carried out in front of the Raj Bhawan. He blamed the Punjab and Haryana State Government for being the main factor behind the violence that erupted in Punjab. While talking to the press after the three hour long meeting, Baba Dhumma said that if the State Governments had taken appropriate steps to deal with Gurmeet Ram Rahim's case, situation in Punjab could have been kept under control
Paramjit S. Sarna, President of Shiromani Akali Dal (D) named Parkash Badal and Bhatriya Janta Party leadership as the main culprits behind the Sacha Sauda controversy. He lashed out on Parkash Badal while demanding an expedited inquiry and decision of the case. Sarna said if Parkash Badal's government fails to act in a reasonable manner, he should resign from the post of Punjab chief minister.
Daljit S. Bittu who was representing the Shiromani Akal Dal (A) in absence of S. Simranjit Singh Mann stated that strict actions will be taken against Sacha Sauda Leader while maintaining peace in the state. Since the meeting was held before his arrest, he has asked for all Panthic organizations to meet once again in Ludhiana to discuss further course of actions.


Khalsa Action Committee made by Panthic Organisations to implement Hukamnamas

Ludhiana, A 15-member ‘Khalsa Action Committee’ was constituted by pro-Panthic organizations at Gurdwara Sahib Shaheedan, Model Town to implement and execute the Hukamnamas (orders) of Sri Akal Takht Sahib issued to counter the threats of the Sirsa Sauda cult.
The Khalsa Action Committee included representatives from the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, Shiromani Akali Dal-1920, Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), Akhand Kirtani Jatha, Damdami Taksal, Khalsa Panchayat, Sikh Student Federation and the Sant Samaj among other organizations.
The Khalsa Action Committee is demanding the immediate arrest of cult dera chief Ram-Rahim, and the close of all deras in Punjab. If these demands are not met by June 18th, they cautioned, a massive march would be taken from Moga to Sri Damdama Sahib where a Panthic conference would be called for initiating the next phase in this critical standoff.
It needs to be noted that Badal/SGPC appointed Jathedars have been heavily criticized for backing away from their own Hukamnamas due to ongoing pressure from the Akali Dal Badal/BJP combine. The Jathedars are classified as employees of the SGPC and can be removed at the whim of the SGPC or Akali Dal management.

Panthic Organisations approach Badal/SGPC for Changing Protest March

Fatehgarh Sahib, Several Panthic leaders lashed out at the State Government and the SGPC after the rerouting of the Fatehgarh Sahib march was announced. Many expected the protest march to have a positive outcome, but due to the State Government's interference, it ended abruptly at Gurdwara Jyoti Saroop--even though the original destination was Chandigarh. The march was organized in collaboration with an eleven member committee that consisted of various Panthic and other political organizations.
The purpose of the march was to hand a memorandum to the Governors of Punjab and Haryana at Chandigarh to seek the arrest of Gurmeet Ram Rahim. But the 11 member committee's plan was foiled after the route of the march was changed. The memorandum had to be handed to representatives of the Governors instead. This decision was not approved by any Panthic organization and Sikh Youth raised slogans against SGPC President Avtar Singh Makkar for working as Parkash Badal's puppet.
Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti cleared his stance by blaming Avtar Singh Makkar for changing the plans. Earlier, the Jathedars of the Takhats had asked Sikh Sangat to accompany them on the Fatehgarh Sahib to Chandigarh protest march, but according to trusted sources, the plans were changed under pressure from Parkash Badal. Previously, Badal had received a warning note from his BJP allies that if the situation in Punjab worsened, the alliance between the two political parties would be broken.
Jathedar of Akal Takhat Sahib told the press that the SGPC had issued an advertisement on behalf of Akal Takhat Sahib in newspapers declaring that the march would be finalized at Gurdwara Jyoti Saroop. Jathedar Vedanti told the press that the SGPC did not seek permission from Akal Takhat Sahib before publishing this ad. Jathedar Vedanti alleged that this was the first time such a step was taken by the SGPC; he also told the press that appropriate steps would be taken to resolve the matter with the SGPC.
After the ardas was performed at Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib, an announcement was made asking all of the participants to refrain from showing any kind of aggressiveness in the march until it arrives at Gurdwara Jyoti Saroop. It was also announced that the 11 member committee would then hand the memorandum to the representatives of the Punjab and Haryana Governors under the guidance of Avtar Singh Makkar.
The march then proceeded and over 2,000 police personnel were deployed across the route. The march reached Gurdwara Jyoti Saroop in three parts. The first part reached Gurdwara Jyoti Saroop following the bus of the 11 member committee. The second part was following the Takhat Jathedars and last mainly consisted of Sikh Youth who ignored police and shouted slogans of Khalistan Zindabad (Long Live Khalistan) and Raj Karega Khalsa (The Khalsa will rule).
Upon reaching Gurdwara Jyoti Saroop, several leaders took the stage and addressed the sangat. Avtar Singh Makkar held that the Sikhs would take nothing less than the arrest of Gurmeet Ram Rahim and closure of all deras in Punjab. Jathedar Vedanti also expressed similar views and said that Sikhs would never allow blasphemy to be committed against the Guru Sahibs. Other Panthic leaders who expressed dissatisfaction at the protest march held that another meeting would be held in Ludhiana at Gurdwara Nanaksar Sahib to discuss a further course of action. It was announced that the leadership of SGPC and its affiliated organizations would be allowed only if they would be willing to comply with the directives of sangat.

SC rejects DSGMC’s petition Probe in cases against Dera chief

New Delhi,
After refusing to intervene in recent Dera Sacha Sauda controversy, the Supreme Court today rejected the plea of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) for expeditious probe by the CBI in some pending cases against Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh some of his followers.
Declining to take cognizance of the DSGMC petition, a Bench of Justices Arijit Pasayat and D K Jain said once the Punjab and Haryana High Court was seized of the matter, there was no reason for the apex court to intervene in the these cases.
The Court on June 4 had also rejected a petition of a Dera trustee and a public interest litigation on the issue of the threat against the Deras for their closure, issued by the Akal Takht, saying that the judiciary had no role to play in religious affairs like these and they be left to the government to take appropriate decisions.
Moreover, the apex court had said that in the law and order issue arising out of the recent controversy, the Punjab and Haryana High Court was already monitoring the situation.
The DSGMC had sought a direction to the CBI to expedite the investigation in some criminal cases registered against the Dera chief and some of its functionaries.
According to the Sikh body in the nation capital, two cases related to alleged murder of a journalist and “sexual exploitation” of a “sadhvi” were being probed by the CBI but it was going very slow with the investigation.
The apex court disapproved the practice of people rushing to the Supreme Court on every issue.
It was also alleged that in the Ranjeet Singh murder case against five of Dera functionaries, no progress had been made on the question of framing of charges as the proceedings in the trial court were going on in a slow pace despite the main and supplementary chare-sheets filed in 2005 and 2006 respectively.
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had earlier stated that the law should take its own course against Dera chief and its functionaries in the criminal cases being probed by the CBI.


Bluestar Anniversary
Amritsar,
The 23rd anniversary of Operation Bluestar today passed off peacefully even as some hardliners thwarted the attempts made by some youths to distribute leaflets having the message “Khalistan zindabad” at the Akal Takht secretariat here today.
However, Jathedar, Akal Takht, Joginder Singh Vedanti asked the Sikh Panth to arm themselves as per the Sikh traditions and start “gurmat” classes at all gurdwaras with a view to uprooting the gurus of cults like Noormehlias, Bhaniarawala and Dera Sacha Sauda.
The jathedar honoured the kin of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, Bhai Amrik Singh, former president, All-India Students Federation, and Maj-Gen Shabeg Singh, who had masterminded the fortification of Akal Takht and SGPC buildings before the Army operation.
Though Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Singh Badal were conspicuous by their absence, SGPC chief Avtar Singh, jathedars of various takhts and Akali ministers, including Sucha Singh Langah and Bikramjit Singh Majithia, and Baba Harnam Singh Khalsa, chief, Damdami Taksal, participated in the anniversary function, which remained a low-key affair this time.
The jathedar, Akal Takht, also paid tributes to all those who were killed during the Army operation. He rued that the Central government had failed to return the invaluable books and literature after the Sikh Reference Library got burnt.
Reports about observing the anniversary in foreign countries were also received.

SSF rally on June 22
Amritsar,
The Sikh Students Federation (SSF) will hold a protest rally, “Delhi hilao”, in New Delhi on June 22 to create awareness among the Sikh masses, intellectuals and leaders of other political parties on the dera issue.
Stating this to the mediapersons here today, Gurcharan Singh Garewal, president, SSF, announced that a three-day movement would be organised from June 15 to expose those guilty. He said they would also hold a dharna near the Parliament House in this connection.

‘Arrest Dera chief’
Amritsar,
The Punjab government should immediately release Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) president Simranjit Singh Mann and 20 others, including a woman, and arrest Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for his blasphemous acts.
Stating this, SAD (A) vice-president Bhai Dhian Singh Mand and general secretary Ram Singh, in a memorandum to the Governor submitted through the deputy commissioner here today, said Mann and others were arrested by the police on May 14 by implicating them in false cases of sedition. They urged him to issue directions to the state government for punishing the dera chief for hurting the Sikh sentiments, besides closing the deras in the state.
They also urged the governor to ban the celebrations of anniversary of former Chief Minister Beant Singh.

Punjab Latest Breaking News - Wednesday 6th June 2007

Sikh express anger on 'Operation Blue Star' anniversary

Amritsar, June 6 : Representatives of various Sikh organisations assembled at the Akal Takht, the highest spiritual seat of the Sikhs, on Wednesday to pay homage to martyrs of 'Operation Blue Star'.The 'Operation Blue Star', which was carried out by the army at the Golden Temple on June 6, 1984, was conducted to flush out rebels fighting for a separate Sikh homeland, as they had taken shelter inside the Golden Temple.Sikh militant leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwala and his followers were killed in the operation and the temple was damaged. Twenty-three years later, Bhindranwala is still considered a hero. Radicals Sikhs see him as embodying the injustice done to them.The Jathedar of the Akal Takht Giani, Joginder Singh Vedanti honoured the kin of the martyrs including Baba Isher Singh, the son of Sant Jarnail Singh BhindranwalaWhile delivering his message, Vedanti described 'Operation Blue Star' as'Genocide of the Sikhs'. Condemning the attack on the Durbar Sahib, Vedanti said that anti Sikh forces were actively involved in dividing the community. He appealed to Sikhs to aware of such forces and show their solidarity.Commenting on the recent incidents in Punjab relating to the Dera Sacha Sauda issue, he appealed to the Sikh Diaspora to chalk out programs for spreading doctrines of Sikhsim to neutralise anti Sikh forces.Daljit Singh Bittu, the vice-president of Shiromani Akali Dal (A) said: 'Though we are here to pay homage to the great martyrs of the Sikh Pant, we were expecting the Jathedars to instruct the community to resolve the ongoing crisis of the Dera Sacha Sauda, which we do not want to leave in the lurch'. Radical leaders too expressed their resentment by saying that Jathedar Akal Takht did not utter any word for further program to execute the 'Gurmatas' pronounced against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Raheem. Kanwerpal Singh Bittu, general secretary of the Dal Khalsa told reporters here that it was ironical that the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee (SGPC) was dragging its feet over building a memorial for the martyrs of Operation Blue Star. 'It should be raised without any delay. We will write to the SGPC remind them of the resolution which was passed by the SGPC five years back,' Bittu added. Professor Kirpal Singh Badungar, former SGPC President had announced that a memorial would be built to remember the martyrs of the operation. Bibi Jagir Kaur had reiterated the SGPC announcement and promised to build the 'Minar-e-Shahida.A prayer meeting was organised at the Golden Temple in the memory of those killed in the operation. Hundreds of Sikhs raised slogans and demanded the formation of a separate homeland for Sikhs called Khalistan.Several social, religious and political leaders also took part in the anniversary-related functions.'We have all gathered here on this occasion to express our grief. The entire Sikh community is unhappy at the event that took place on June 6, 1984. We are regretful of the fact the government at that time did not fulfil its duties properly,' said Bikram Singh Majthia, Punjab's Information and Broadcasting Minister.




Operation Blue Star anniversary: Kin of Sikh martyrs honoured by Akal Takht

AMRITSAR: Amidst the presence of hundreds of devotees here on Wednesday the function organised to mark genocide day at Akal Takht (highest Sikh temporal seat) passed off peacefully.
Unlike previous years, no provocative slogans of Khalisthan (separate Sikh home Land) were raised and no provocative speeches were delivered this time by any of Sikh organsitaion. Every year on this occasion provocative slogans were being raised in past.
It may be mentioned here that during the Operation Blue Star in 1984 militant Sikh leader Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwala chief of Dam Dami Taksal (religious Sikh organization), President All Indian Sikh Student Federation Bhai Amrik Singh, former Indian Army General, Subegh Singh (close associate to Bhidnranwala) were killed during firing by army. Today family members of all 'martyrs' were honored at Akal Takht
Today on this occasion the current chief of Dam Dami Taksal Bhai Harnam Singh Dhuma was also present at Akal Takht but did not deliver any speech.
On this occasion Jatehdar Akal Takht Gyani Joginder Singh Vedanti while reading message for the Sikh community from Akal Takht condemned the army action launched in June 1984 said, "The then Government of India has sent Indian Army to Golden Temple to ruin the sanctity and piousness and people who were killed at the Hands of Army inside the Golden Temple were trying to save and protect the piousness of theholy Harmandir Sahib".
Vedanti also lauded the role of slain militant leader Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindrewale and described Bhindrewale as a martyr of the entire Sikh Panth (religion) who scarified his life for the cause of Sikh religion during the operation Blue Star in 1984".
Adding further Vedanti said, "During the Bombardment by the Indian Army in 1984 the pious religious and rare Sikh scripture was also taken away from the 'Sikh Reference Library. Sikh community would always remember the sacrifice of Sant Jarmail Singh Bhindranwala. Sikh community would never forget the shameful act of Indian Government for attacking on Golden Temple".
Earlier in the day a religious prayer at Akal Takht was performed, whereupon the Operation Blue Star launched by the Indian Army was condemned and army attack on the Golden Temple by the Indian Government was described as a brutal act.
Nevertheless to say, every year on June 6 is observed as genocide day since on this day Indian Army attacked on the Golden Temple in a bid to flush out the hiding militants but during attack several hundreds people were killed besides damaging of Akal Takht. As a reason on June 6 various Sikh organizations assemble at Akal Takht to join the congregation organized by the SGPC.




Sikhs resent ignoring dera Sacha Sauda by Akal Takhat Jathedar

AMRITSAR: The genocide day, observed at Akal takht in Amritsar on Wednesday, to mark 23rd anniversary of Operation Blue Star witnessed anger of radical Sikhs agaisnt dera Sacha Sauda. The hardliners also displayed banners of Khalistan in front of Akal Takht.
Senior SAD leaders including Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal stayed away from the function organised by SGPC.
The day however passed off peacefully as no report of any untoward incident was received from any part of the state. The Sikh devotees attended congregations organised in various Gurdawaras and condemnded theoperation blue star conducted by army.
The former Prime Minister late Indira Gandhi had ordered army action to flush out militants hoarding inside the Golden Temple. Sant Jarnail SinghBhindrawala head of damdami Taksal who led the militants was killed in the army operation.
Joginder Singh Vedanti Jathedar of Akal Takht addressed a congregation this morning and held Indira gandhi responsible for the army action on JUNE 6,1984. He also honoured kin of "martyrs" killed in army action.
Senior Vice President of Shiromani Akali Dal Mann, Daljit Singh Bittu expressed anguish over the attitude of Vedanti, for maintaining studded silence for Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmit Ram Rahim.
Talking to the media persons, Bittu said the Sikh community was expecting some special announcement from Vedanti or line of action further against Dera Sahca Sauda chief, who had allegedly hurt the Sikh psyche through his blasphemous act.
The reports said that a group of nearly thirty to forty people while carrying the banner of Khalisthan walked in the front of Akal Takht and distributed pamphlets of Khaistahan. Nevertheless to say that no one has raised any provocative slogans of Khalsithan or any such speech.



Three Sikh leader not allowed to meet Governor


Fatehgarh Sahib: Three Sikh leaders Dalit Singh Bittu , Kanwarpal Singh and Karnail Singh Panjoli were not allowed to meet Punjab Governor Gen (Retd) S.F.Rodrigues , when they along with a delegation went to submit memorandum against Dera Sacha Sauda chief to the Governor of Punjab. The delegation was led by Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Paramjit Singh Sarna. Bittu is senior vice president of Shiromani Akali Dal(Amritsar) while Kanwarpal Singh is Spokesperson of Dal Khalsa and Panjoli is SGPC member from Fatehgarh Sahib. A ten member committee led by Sarna comprising Dal Khalsa president Satnam Singh Paunta Sahib, Damdami Taksal Spokesperson Bhai Mohkam Singh, former Akal Takht Jathedar Jasbir Singh Rode, former Ambassdor Harinder Singh Khalsa and Sant Samaj representatives Baba Sukhchain Singh, Baba Baljit Singh Daduwal ; hardliners Daljit Singh Bittu, Kanwarpal Singh and Karnail Singh Panjoli had gone to submit memorandum to governor.The security staff of Governor refused to allow entry to Bittu, Kanwarpal and Panjoli. Interestingly, Fatehgarh Sahib police had recently registered a sedition case against Daljit Bittu but he was not arrested by the police so far. He publically attended meeting of Sant Samaj at Ludhiana and later gone to submit memorandum to Governor but no one 'dare' to arrest him. Security staff of Governor only denied permission to him to meet Governor but did not arrest him.The registration of sedition case against him was widely highlighted in media. Satnam Singh Paunta Sahib , who was allowed permission to meet Governor remained 14 years in prison in Pakistan for hijacking an Indian Airlines plane. Bittu had already denied charges of sedition and said that a false case was registered against him.

Punjab Latest News as it Breaks - Tuesday 5th June 2007

Dera chief’s arrest Sant Samaj and Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) sticks to hard line

Ludhiana,
The Gurmat Sidhant Pracharak Sant Samaj today served an ultimatum on the Central, Punjab and Haryana governments for arresting Dera Sacha Sauda head baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh by June 18, failing which it will launch a peaceful protest by courting arrest.
On the other hand, the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) stuck to its hardline stance, saying that in case the baba was not arrested it would ensure that the Akal Takht hukamnama was implemented in letter and spirit.
The two organisations held simultaneous meetings less than a kilometer apart along the Ferozepur road. While the Sant Samaj held its meeting on the premises of Gurdwara Nanaksar, Ferozepur road, the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) held its meeting at the party office near Circuit House. Interestingly, both organisations had called a press conference 3 pm. The timing was later rescheduled.
Sant Samaj headed by Baba Harnam Singh Binderawale, who is also the chief of the Damdami Taksal, said only sants would participate in the protest. Accompanied by Baba Harbhajan Singh of Nanaksar Karelanwalay and Bhai Hari Singh Randhawaywale, Baba Harnam Singh had called the meeting today to chalk out the strategy to be adopted to enforce the hukamnama.
He said the meeting took exception to the delaying tactics of the Punjab and Haryana governments in taking action against the dera head.
On the other hand, the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) at its political affairs committee meeting decided to hold a conclave of leaders and representatives of various panthic organisations on June 4 at Gurdwara Model Town here to chalk out the future course of action.
He blamed the Central government for delaying the completion of the CBI investigation against the baba on the charges of rape and murder.


Sikh bodies demand Badal's resignation

CHANDIGARH: Various Sikh bodies today demanded the resignation of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, saying the state government had "failed" in arresting the head of Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda, recently embroiled in controversy for his reported blasphemous acts. A delegation representing different Sikh organisations met Punjab Governor S F Rodrigues here to submit a memorandum in this regard. Briefing the media, Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee chief Paramjit Singh Sarna said, "Badal has no right to continue as chief minister as he has not followed the religious edict issued by the Akal Takht." Sarna said Dera head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh had not been arrested despite a case being registered against him. He said that despite the edict last month demanding that centres of the Sirsa-based sect in Punjab be "vacated", no action had been taken on this also. Sarna said various Sikh organisations would hold a protest march from Bina Kangar in Bhatinda to Damdami Sahib in Talwandi Sabo on June 24. "After the march the organisations will chalk out the next course of action," he said. Sarna said the delegation included representatives of SAD (Delhi), DSGMC, SAD (1920), SAD (Rode), SAD (Amritsar) and radical organisations, including Damdami Taksal.

Punjab police book Daljit Singh Bittu Vice President Shirmonai Akali Dal Amritsar in sedition case

Fatehgarh Sahib: Fatehgarh Sahib police has registered a sedition case against Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) senior vice president Daljit Singh Bittu and others. Sources in police department revealed that the police has registered against Bittu for his provocative speeches during the protest march recently taken out at Fatehgarh Sahib against Dera Sacha Sauda chief. While the peace march planned up to Chandigarh was restricted to travel from Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib to Gurdwara Jyoti Swaroop here, the softening of approach attracted criticism from Sikh Sangat and they raised slogans of 'Khalistan Zindabad' and many other slogans.Some claim that attempt was made to ghearo the bus of 11 member committee, which submitted memorandum to the representatives of Governors of Punjab and Haryana.Sources said that during the protest march when a group led by SAD Acting president Sukhbir Badal just passed nearby the Bitu group to reach at Gurdwara Jyoti Swaroop, the followers of Daljit Bitu again started raising slogans. These slogans were shouted by Bitu group to provide just passing near by Sukhbir Badal and his followers. However Sukhbir Badal and other SAD leaders peacefully passed reciting 'Satnam Waheguru' and avoided confrontation and now case was registered against Bittu and others.It may be mentioned here that Jalandhar police had already registered a sedition case against SAD(Amritsar) president Simranjit Singh Mann and 20 others in former Chief Minister Beant Singh statue desecration case. After the arrest of Mann, he was sent in judicial custody till June 14 .As per information, the case against Bittu was registered on the complaint of Fatehgarh Sahib SHO.When contacted Fatehgarh Sahib SSP Nilabh Kishore he confirmed that the police has registered case against Daljit Bittu and others under section 124-A,153-A, 341, 505 of the IPC. He said that other persons who delivered provocative speeches during protest march would be identified through videos , which is in the hands of the police.

Latest Breaking News from Punjab - Monday 4 th June 2007 -

Dera Row SC declines to take up petitions
New Delhi,

The Supreme Court today declined to intervene in the Dera Sacha Sauda controversy, saying it was a religious issue on which no writ mandamus could be issued. It also stated that the tension arising out of the situation was purely a law and order problem that had to be essentially handled by the government agencies.
Expressing displeasure over the attempts to time and again invoke the court’s jurisdiction on religious matters, a Bench of Justices Arijit Pasayat and D K Jain, stated: “Can we ever say that a person should be allowed to wear a dress in a particular manner? Whatever you have asked for in the petition is for the government to decide, not the courts. Don’t bring a matter to this court in which it has no role to play… like the dress code or the law and order problem,” the Bench said.
This query was in the context of allegations against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh attiring himself like Guru Gobind Singh. This issue was raised in a PIL filed by Harvinder Kaur.
When Kaur insisted that the apex court had earlier too entertained petitions on religious issues, the Bench said, “We are becoming wiser every day… we are being told to be wise…”
Reacting to the plea of Dera Sacha Sauda counsel Rajiv Dhawan that the deras faced a threat of closure, apparently from Akal Takhat, the Bench said, “Sensitisation of the issue should not involve the court… it is not the court’s job to decide where the BSF or Army should be deployed… for that, you have to approach the government.”
It was also stated that the Punjab and Haryana High Court was already monitoring the case and had passed some orders. SC declines to take up dera petitions
As Dhawan said the problem was not confined to the jurisdiction of Punjab and Haryana High Court but some other states like Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir were also involved, the Bench said, “The genesis of the problem is essentially Punjab.”
After the court had passed an order dismissing Kaur’s PIL and the petition of Dera Sacha Sauda trustee Abhijeet Bhagat, both the petitioners sought to withdraw them, saying they would prefer to move the National Human Rights Commission.
While terming Kaur’s PIL as “misconceived” and Dera’s petition not maintainable, the Bench permitted the withdrawal by recording the statements of their lawyers.

Action on Akal Takht HukamnamaPanthic groups to wait and watch

Ludhiana,

Various panthic groups today decided to adopt a wait and watch policy about the execution of Akal Takht Hukamnama on Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh of the Dera Sacha Sauda. These groups, in a marathon meeting at the Gurdwara Shaheedan, Model Town, here today took several decisions, including the constitution of a 15-member Khalsa Action Committee with representatives of all panthic groups to chalk out the further course of action.
It was decided to wait till June 18, the deadline of the Sant Samaj ultimatum to the government for executing the Akal Takht hukamnama, which includes the arrest of the dera head, closure of all deras in Punjab and the social boycott of the dera followers. In order to avoid any confusion that might lead to differences among the panthic groups, the meeting placed on record the appreciation for the Sant Samaj decision to court arrest for the implementation of Akal Takht hukamnama.
The meeting, supported the decision of the Sant Samaj to court arrest in case the Baba was not arrested. The panthic leaders made it clear that, as desired by the Sant Samaj, they would not participate in the agitation programme but would be extending the support only. However, they added, they would join the protest in case the samaj wanted so.
The meeting was attended, among others, by Parmajit Singh Sarna, president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Managing Committee, Daljeet Singh Bittu, senior vice-president of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), Kanwarpal Singh of Dal Khalsa, Jasbir Singh Rode of the Shiromani Akali Dal-1920, Baba Sukhchain Singh of the Sant Samaj, Bhai Mohakkam Singh of the Damdami Taksal, R.P Singh of the Akhand Kirtani Jatha and others.
Ahead of the June 18 deadline, a delegation of the panthic organisations will meet Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on June 11 at Chandigarh to insist upon him to initiate action for the execution of the Akal Takht hukamnama. The meeting expressed regret at the state government not being serious about pursuing the case against the dera head. In case nothing happens till June 18, the panthic groups have decided to hold a route march on June 24 from Dina Kangar in Moga district, where Guru Gobind Singh wrote the Zafarnama, to Damdama Sahib in Talwandi Sabo. A 15-member core committee, named Khalsa Action Committee, led by Paramjit Singh Sarna was also constituted to coordinate activities of various panthic groups and chalk out the course of action.


Count down begins for Op Blue Star anniversary on June 6

AMRITSAR: In the back drop of dera Sacha Sauda controversy, the count down has begun for observing 23rd anniversary of Operation Blue Star conducted by army in the Golden Temple on June 6, 2006.
The chain of Akhand Paths (recitation of Sikh religious scripture) by Dhiromani Gurdawara Parbhandak Committee(SGPC) was started at Akal Takht at Amritsar on Monday The Bhog ceremony of Akhand Path would be on June 6.
The state government has made elaborate security arrangements and alerted the security forces all over the state to prevent any backlash on the issue of dera Sacha Sauda controversy. The radical Sikh organisatons are expected to utilise the occassion to flare up Sikh sentiments against dera Sacha Sauda.
The hardliners have already gven an ultimatum for the arrest of dera Chief Baba Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh by June 18. They have threatened dharna in front of Punjab Raj Bhawan here on May 19.
Every year to observer the memory of operation Blue Star, Sikh community by and large assemble at Akal Takht on June 6 as it was considered the blackest day in Sikh history, said SGPC.
The operation Blue Star was conducted to flush out terrorists hiding inside the Sikh shrine under the command of late Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindrawala, head of Damdami Taksal.
GAGANDEEP AHUJA adds from Patiala that Akhand path of Guru Granth Sahib has started in different Gurdawaras of Patiala district.
Akhand Path has begun in three Gurdawaras under the control of SGPC such as Gurdwara Dukhniwaran Sahib, Gurdwaras nauvi patshahi Bhadurgarh and Gurdwara Khel Sahib. Akhand Path has also started at Gurdwara at Dainthal village. Gurdawara is being constructing in the name of late Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindrawala at Dainthal. Bhog of Akhand paths will be performed on June 6.

- Sikh Protest March at Fatehgrah Sahib -

SGPC demands

Prohibit (the Dera) from the exploiting sacred symbols of various religions without their express permission. A provision for stringent punishments be made in law so that such -like mischief-mongers do not dare play with religious sentiments of people. The dera chief should not be allowed to evade the course of law, against charges of rape, murder and conspiracy already framed against him. A high-level inquiry be instituted into his blasphemous actions to unravel the larger conspiracy of destabilising the state in particular and the nation in general.

Moderates carry the day in Punjab

Fatehgarh Sahib

The procession of Sikh organisations was peaceful here today. However, difference of opinion emerged between the moderates and the radicals. The former, clearly in strength, virtually pushed the radicals to the background and decided the future course of action against Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, chief of the Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda.
This may allay fears of people across the country that radicals were slowly re-establishing control in Punjab.
Akal Takht Jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti virtually echoed the feelings of the congregation saying “peaceful protests will continue till the dera chief is not uprooted”.
He said no issue could be solved with gun. He reminded the youth that the state had seen troubled times during the dark days of militancy and praised them for controlling them despite provocation. He asked those present in the congretaion to use “gyan”and not gun to solve the issue.
peace march
(From top) Sukhbir Badal at a congregation at Fathehgarh Sahib on Thursday; Kirpal Singh Badungar, former SGPC president, leads a march at Fatehgarh Sahib; and leading the march were a large number of men in khaki.— Tribune photos — Pradeep Tewari
The signal for peace from the moderates was clear at the outset. At the ‘ardas’ at the commencement of the procession the head granthi of the historic Fatehgarh Sahib gurdwara — in the presence of all Sikh high priests and other religious leaders — prayed to the Almighty to punish the Dera chief terming him a “dharam dokhi” (religious offender). The radical groups, told the media later they rejected this and wanted the arrest of the Dera chief and strong action. This group even carried computer- generated print outs praising Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and “Khalistan”.
The two groups ended up taking out separate processions with the radical elements surprising everybody by taking out their procession first. The team of moderates lead by Avtar Singh SGPC chief was the last as splinters groups of few other Sikh organisations broke away in small groups. This included one led by Paramjit Singh Sarna chief of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee.
This morning the procession started from the historic gurdwara Sri Fatehgarh Sahib and ended 2 km away at the Sri Jyoti Swarup gurdwara even as shopkeepers in this town had put up shutters anticipating trouble.
However, under Akal Takht directions there were no unsheathed swords and no firearms as the Punjab Police and the Rapid Action Force kept watch with senior officers overseeing arrangements.
As the procession ended at Jyoti Swarup gurdwara SGPC chief Avtar Singh r handed over memorandums on behalf of the Sikh Sangat to the ADCs of the Governors of Punjab and Haryana.
It was a rare occasion that Raj Bhawan officials had been sent specifically by the Governors to receive memorandums. It was decided if the ADC’s did not come then a 11-member delegation led by Avtar Singh would go to present the memorandum to the Governors.
Sarna later told media persons the march should have been up to Chandigarh and not culminated at Sri Jyoti Swarup gurdwara here. The Akal Takht hukamnama was clear in this regard and the high priests had acted at the behest of Parkash Singh Badal-led Shiromani Akali Dal.
SAD working president Sukhbir Badal said the entire procession and the protest was as per Takht’s hukamnama. The protest will carry on at religious level, he said as his security officers asked him to sit in his bullet-proof car and whisked him away.

On shortening of march route Vedanti-SGPC cross swords

Amritsar

Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti and the SGPC today crossed swords over the publication of an advertisement in leading newspapers on behalf of the latter regarding shortening of the protest-march route against the blasphemous acts of the dera chief.
SGPC officials did not bother to seek permission from the Akal Takht secretariat or the Sikh clergy before publishing such advertisement on behalf of the Jathedar.
This is for the first time that such an advertisement was published on behalf of the Jathedar, which has initiated fresh debate in the Panthic circles. The advertisement caused immense embarrassment to the Sikh high priests since they themselves had pronounced that the protest march would be taken out from Fatehgarh Sahib to Chandigarh.
Talking to The Tribune, Jathedar Vedanti described advertisement “unprecedented”. The Jathedar said he would take up the matter with SGPC Chief Avtar Singh Makkar. He said the advertisement should have been published on behalf of SGPC’s Dharm Parchar Committee. Earlier advertisement, published in various newspapers regarding Punjab bandh on May 20 was also published on behalf of the Dharm Parchar Committee and not on behalf the Akal Takht Jathedar.
Akal Takht has been receiving a number of complaints following publication of “sandesh” (message) in the name of Sikh masses on behalf of the Akal Takht Jathedar.
SAD general secretary Bhai Ram Singh said the working committee meeting of his party would be convened within a week to discuss the shortening of the route of the protest march. He said it was unfortunate that the Jathedar Vedanti had amended the “Gurmatta”, pronounced from Akal Takht regarding the route of the protest march. He said as per the original announcement, its route was from Fatehgarh Sahib to Chandigarh which was later changed under political pressure.

Dera Row Fatehgarh-city march foiled, Sarna blames govt - Paramjit Singh Sarna ( President Dehli Sikh Gurdwara Prabandak Committe)

Chandigarh,

Accusing the Punjab Government of interfering in the religious matters of the Sikhs, president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) Paramjit Singh Sarna today said the state government had resorted to pressure tactics to prevent the protest march from Fatehgarh Sahib to Chandigarh.
Addressing media persons at the Chandigarh Press Club, Sarna alleged that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had changed stand from his earlier statements that the state governments should refrain from meddling with religious matters. The heavy deployment of police at Fatehgarh Sahib was testimony to the fact, he added.
Holding the state government responsible for incidents that have taken place during the past 19 days in the wake of the Dera Sacha Sauda row, Sarna alleged no steps had been taken by the government to resolve the issue or to assuage the hurt sentiments of the Sikhs. Even after the dera chief, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, was booked in a case of hurting religious sentiments by the Punjab police, no serious efforts were made to arrest him. “Taking a moral responsibility the Chief Minister should resign,” he asserted.
He, however, parried media queries on why they had not pursued the matter of hurting religious sentiments in Delhi against the dera chief.
He warned that if no action was taken against the Dera chief, they would gherao the state government in Chandigarh. He also said they had also filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court regarding the CBI inaction in cases seeking the intervention of the apex court to speed up the probe against the dera chief.
Flaying the SGPC, Sarna stated that it had also failed to comply by its earlier decision that an 11-member delegation would hand over memorandums to the Governors of Punjab and Haryana, as they had agreed to handing over the memorandums to a representative of the authorities in Fatehgarh Sahib.
Bhai Jasbir Singh Rode of the Sant Samaj said they would stick to their earlier decisions as per which all Sikh organisations would assemble on June 2 in Ludhiana to chalk out the next course of action. Demanding the arrest the dera chief, he called upon the Sikh organisations to close all deras of the sect in Punjab.
Former secretary of the SGPC Manjit Singh Calcutta said the dera chief should be punished for his act and it was the only way to assuage the sentiments of Sikhs.

Cops were on their toes all through the day
Chandigarh,

The Chandigarh police remained on its toes today in the wake of the expected march of Sikh organisations toward Chandigarh from Fatehgarh Sahib to hand over memorandums to the Governors of Punjab and Haryana.
A heavy deployment of police was seen on all roads leading to the city from Punjab. Police sources said approximately 1600 personnel were deployed in various parts of the city, including around Punjab and Haryana Raj Bhavans.
Nakas were set up on all roads connecting the city to Punjab, which were manned by deputy superintendents of police. The nakas were set up at around 8 am and lifted around 2 pm. However, the traffic flowed smoothly on the roads.
It was around afternoon that the police heaved a sigh of relief when it got information that the protestors had agreed to hand over their memorandums to a representative of the Governor. A team of CID officials of the Chandigarh police, deployed at Fatehgarh Sahib, was giving minute to minute inputs of development occurring at Fatehgarh Sahib.
A team of police personnel led by the Sector 3 police station inspector Ram Gopal remained stationed near both the Raj Bhavans.

Peaceful Protest by Sikhs

The Akal Takht, the supreme temporal and spiritual body of Sikhs, expressed dissatisfaction with the apology tendered by Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Raheem, accused of blasphemy, saying the gesture was "a shrewd tactic to divert attention".In conflict with the Dera chief for his alleged imitation of Sikh Guru Gobind Singh, the five Sikh high priests, at a meeting here, said the social boycott of Dera followers announced by them would continue.A resolution adopted at the meeting said the apology given by the Dera chief to Guru Gobind Singh on Sunday night was "not graceful in language and spirit".The priests said the apology was "no more than a shrewd tactic of the Dera Chief to divert attention from the fact that he himself is not forthcoming with the apology but is instead trying to hide behind nameless followers".The Takht described the Dera chief as "shrewd and egoistic"."When the apology is sincere and from the core of the heart, then the Guru (Gobind Singh) is magnanimous to forgive. "If he has sincerely apologized, then the Guru would forgive him," the resolution said adding "but he has worded the apology in a cunning manner"."God always pardons the guilty", the Sikh priests said.The Akal Takht meeting presided by Jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti said if the Dera Chief and his followers had expressed the apology from the core of their heart to Guru Gobind Singh, the creator of Khalsa Panth (Sikh religion) would forgive them."If they have indulged in mischief, the Guru would take care of them," it said.
The Akal Takht directed Sikhs to conduct a peaceful protest march against recent actions of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect against their religion.
On the eve of the protest march - to be held from Gurudwara Jyoti Sarup at Fatehgarh Sahib, 45 km from here, to the city - the Akal Takht issued fresh directives to Sikhs not to do anything unlawful.

"The march will be led by 11 leaders of the Sikh community who will proceed to Chandigarh. It should be kept peaceful. No one should carry or show any firearms or traditional weapons during the rally," the Akal Takht directive said.
Sikh groups and thousands of their supporters had started gathering at Fatehgarh Sahib - a religious town where two sons of 10th Sikh guru Gobind Singh had made a sacrifice during Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's rule.
The groups are seeking the sect chief's arrest. They also want a complete ban on all his deras.
The delegation leading the protest march will submit memorandums to governors of Punjab and Haryana in Chandigarh demanding action against Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmit Ram Rahim for hurting the religious sentiments of Sikh community recently by portraying himself like Guru Gobind Singh.
The Akal Takht directive for Thursday's protest march was read out to the community at Harmandir Sahib (abode of god) - the sanctum sanctorum inside the Golden Temple complex in Sikh holy city Amritsar.
Security at Fatehgarh Sahib and the highway leading to Chandigarh was beefed up by the Punjab police and paramilitary forces. The police were put on alert in Chandigarh too.

Delhi Panthic Convention : Shutdown Sirsa Deras

New Delhi (KP) – In light of the recent controversial acts of the Dera Sauda, a Panthic convention was organized here by the Delhi Shiromani Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) under the leadership of Paramjit Singh Sarna and Harwinder Singh Sarna. Several eminent personalities along with Takhat Jathedars presented their views at the convention in regards to the blasphemous acts of the dera leader.
Singh Sahib Joginder Singh Vedanti, while addressing the sangat, said that the controversies associated with the dera are not new. He blamed the dera ‘gurus’ for causing confusion in the sangat by misusing Sikh establishments. The name of the dera is based on a historical incident of Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s life, said the Jathedar, while pronouncing that the dera should change its name to stop causing confusion within the Sikh Sangat.
Singh Sahib Jathedar Iqbal Singh blamed the dera leader for stirring controversies. He said that the Sikh Panth should be concerned over the fact that the Dalits, who at one time had joined Sikhi in big numbers, were being targeted the most by the deras like Sacha Sauda. He also shed light on on several cases against Gurmeet Ram Rahim that are pending court hearings.
Harnaam Singh Dhumma, also bashed Gurmeet Ram Rahim for hurting Sikh sentiments but acknowledged that the recent issues have once again awakened the Sikh nation. The recent actions of sikh youth have proven that the Panthic spirit still burns bright in them. He asked the Takhat Jathedars initiate a movement geared towards bringing back the Sikhs who have gone astray because of dera activities. Dhumma also expressed concerns over the media portrayal of the Sikhs as many media agencies showed Sikhs in a negative light.
Daljit Singh Bittu said that the reason Sikhs have to continuously face these issues is because the Panth is lacking good political leaders. He said that the Sikhs should only look up to Guru Granth Sahib Ji in these situations. He said that the Akal Takhat Sahib should organize a committee so that the movement which energized the nation after the blasphemous acts of Gurmeet Ram Rahim could be kept alive. This committee should provide research on activities of various deras that have been established in Punjab.
This convention was attended by several other Panthic personalities, including Giani Balwant Singh Nandgarh, Giani Iqbal Singh, Giani Tirlochan Singh and Manjit Singh Calcutta. Besides Daljit S. Bittu, several members of Shiromani Akal Dal (A) were also present at the convention in absence of S. Simranjit Singh Mann. Surprisingly, the presence of Jagdish Singh Jhinda (President Haryana Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee) was also noted at the convention.
The following resolutions were passed at the end of the convention with consent of all the leaders who were present there. These resolutions were passed according to the previous mandate of Akal Takhat Sahib of getting all Sacha Sauda deras in Punjab vacated:
1. All Sikh leaders expressed agreement with the previous mandate of Akal Takhat Sahib and stated that the Sacha Sauda deras in Punjab must be closed immediately.
2. Gurmeet Ram Rahim should be arrested at once for his blasphemous acts of insulting Sikh standards, for disrupting peace in Punjab and neighboring states, and for illegally possessing dangerous weapons. Furthermore, the court must finish its hearing of the cases that are pending against the dera leader and punish him for his crimes appropriately.
3. Dera Sacha Sauda must also stop using religious symbols of different religions to promote itself as one mutual sect of all religions.
4. The name of Dera Sacha Sauda must be changed as the Sikh Nation will never accept misuse of Sikh history or Gurbani.
5. A panel of renowned Sikh historians should be formed to research and document Sikh history. This panel should also keep an eye on acts of other cults in Punjab, including Bhaniara wale, Noormehel and others.

Prosecute Sirsa Dera chief, apology not sufficient

Advocate D S Gill, Chairperson, International Human Rights Organisation
Ludhiana, Punjab - The International Human Rights Organisation (IHRO) today urged the Sikh leadership, including Jathedar Akal Takht against compromising the interests of the people, especially the Sikhs, while striking any peace pact under the garb of apology with Dera "Sacha Sauda" head, classically named, Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh.
"We are of the strong opinion that dera chief Gurmit Singh has committed a criminal act under section 295-A of the Indian Penal Code while attiring and equating himself as Guru Gobind Singh, thus outraging the religious feelings and beliefs of the world-wide Sikh community", said IHRO chairperson D S Gill and general secretary M S Grewal, in a press statement issued here today.
They asked the Central, Punjab and Haryana governments, as well, to desist diluting the dera chief's crime under the pretext of apology. "He must be prosecuted in order to bring him to the book, as he is not above law and is already facing charges of murder and rape."
The IHRO advocates also asked Dera chief Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh: "If you are really a God's man, you should surrender before the law as has been done in 1981 by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale who was wanted by the police in murder cases of Nirankari Baba Gurbachan Singh and Lala Jagat Narain."
The Core Group of this Human Rights NGO, in its emergency meeting here on Wednesday, decided that, if the respective governments tried to dilute the guilt of Sirsa dera head and failed to get him arrested under any political compulsion or pressure of any sort, it would fight against this injustice and the failure of the government in courts of law.


Sukhbir Badal thanked the Sikhs for peaceful march

FATEHGARH SAHIB: Shiromani Akali Dal Acting president Sukhbir Badal talking to media persons after the protest march said that the march was peaceful and he thanked the people for it.
When asked to comment on poor response of people to the march, lack of coordination between SGPC and state government , Sukhbir said that the state government was nothing to do with the march.
On criticism of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Paramjit Singh Sarna for changing previous programme to take out protest march from Fatehgarh Sahib to Chandigarh, Sukhbir said that the call of protest march was given by the Sikh clergy and they chalked out all programme. He said that if Sarna and his associates disobeyed Akal Takht directions by their unnecessary criticism.
Talking to media persons Shiromonai Akali Dal (Amritsar) senior leader Emaan Singh Mann, who also participated in the protest march said that todays’ gathering was a failure because the government had made massive efforts to restrict people from attending.


Sikhs take out peaceful protest march against dera

FATEHGARH SAHIB: On the call given by Akal Takht the Sikh organisations including SGPC, Nihang Singh sects, Shiromani Akali Dal activists Thursday took out a peaceful march from Gurdawara Fatehgarh Sahib to Gurdawara Jyoti swaroop at Fatehgarh Sahib to protest against actions of dera Sacha Sauda.
In an unpredented move, the ADC's of Punjab and Haryana governors reached at Fatehgarh Sahib to receive the memorendum from 11 member panel constituted to go to Chandigarh for the purpose. The committee headed by SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar submitted the memorendum outside Gurdawara persmises.
Others present on the occassion included SGPC senior vice president Raghujit Singh Virk, Damdami Takhsal chief Harnam Singh Khalsa, Nihal Singh Harian Belan Wale, Hari Singh Randhawa , Gurmail Singh General Secretaries of Sant Samaj, Lakhmir Singh Bilongwale, Balbir Singh, Nihang Chief Budha Dal, Baba Daya Singh Sursinhwale, Baba Avtar Singh and Baba Jarnail Singh Rara Sahib wale were also present beforetaking out the protest march.
Initially, there was a gathering of around 5,000 people inside and outside Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib complex around 10 AM before the start of the march.
SAD Acting president Sukhbir Badal also reached at the Gurdwara. SAD PAC members Balwinder Singh Bhundar, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Prem Singh Chandumajra, Randhir Singh Cheema, MP Sharanjit Singh Dhillon, Public Relations Minister Bikramjit Singh Majithia, former SGPC president Kirpal Singh Badungar, former minister Tota Singh, Sikh Students Federation president Gurcharan Singh Grewal were also present.
Giani Tarlochan Singh, Jathedar Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib performed the ardas’ (religious prayer) inside the main shrine of the Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib. He prayed in front of Guru Granth Sahib that a suitable punishment will be awarded to Dera Chief Sacha Sauda by the Almighty, who ‘acted against the Sikh religion’. He further prayed that the participants should carry out the protest march peacefully and during the protest march, so Sikh should carry unsheathed swords and shout slogans.
Immediately, after the Ardas, all the leaders of various Sikh organizations led by five Singh Sahibans(high priests)- Akal Takht Jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti, Takht Damdama Sahib Jathedar Balwant Singh Nandgarh, Takht Keshgarh Sahib Jathedar Giani Tarlochan Singh, Takht Patna Sahib Jathedar Giani Iqbal Singh , Golden Temple, Amritsar Head Granthi Bhai Gurcharan Singh came out of the main Gurdwara complex and gathered outside the Gurdwara to lead the protest march. The protest march led by a five high priests and a bus carrying 11 member committee started moving towards Gurdwara Jyoti Swaroop around 10.30 Am.
Just before the start of protest march, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Paramjit Singh Sarna in the presence of SAD(Amritsar) senior vice president Daljit Singh Bitu and former Akal Takht Jathedar Bhai Jasbir Singh Rode strongly criticized the present government and SGPC for changing their previous programme to take out the protest march from Fatehgarh Sahib to Chandigarh. Sarna said that theywere totally disagreed with the SGPC and state government on their issue of Dera Sacha Sauda.
The protest march started towards Jyoti Swaroop Gurdwara on foot, some nihangs were raveling in their private vehicles. An Air Conditioner bus with a banner in Punjabi ‘For memorandum to be submitted to the Governor against Dera Sirsa Chief’ carried all member committee inside it during the protest march. SAD Acting president Sukhbir Badal and other SAD leaders also started moving at the end of the protest march.
When a group led by Daljit Singh Bitu, Paramjit Singh Sarna and Jasbir Singh Rode comprising around 100 members, reached near District Administrative Complex, Fatehgarh Sahib enroute to Gurdwara Jyoti Swaroop, started raising slogans ‘ Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale Zindabad’, ‘Shaheed Kamaljit Singh Amar Rahe’(Kamaljit Singh was killed in firing at Sunam during Dera Sacha Sauda controversy). They stopped shouting these slogans after five minutes.
A large number of security persons, Punjab police, armed and unarmed standing on the sides of the road was mute specters and they did not intervene. The protest march continue towards Jyoti Swaroop Gurdwara again, after about 10 minutes, when a group led by Sukhbir Badal just passed nearby the Bitu group, the followers of Bitu again started raising slogans. These slogans were shouted by Bitu group in presence of Sarna and Rode intentionally to provide just passing near by Sukhbir Badal and his followers. However Sukhbir Badal and other SAD leaders peacefully passed reciting ‘Satnam Waheguru’.
Emaan Singh Mann son of Simranjit Singh Mann moved separately with 50 activists . The protest march reached outside Gurdwara Jyoti Swaroop at around 11.30. There , a group of some Sikh youths while waiving small posters shouted slogans ‘ Khalistan Zindabad’.
The youths were raising these slogans very loudly and stood in front of the gate of the AC bus from where all 11 member committee was to alight to hand over memorandum to the ADCs to Governors of Punjab and Haryana, who were already waiting near Gurdwara Jyoti Swaroop. The police had put barricades near the Gurdwara chowk leading towards the route to Chandigarh to prevent any movement in that direction. The slogans shouted by handful of youths carried on for around 20 minutes near the bus of the committee. The committee members initially decided not to hand over the memorandum to the ADCs there but suddenly a decision was taken to hand over memorandum to ADCs at the door of the bus and it was handed over in haste with the help of Member Parliament Sharanjit Singh Dhillon and former Punjab Public Service Commission member Amarjit Singh Chawla, who was also in bus. The bus immediately moved towards other side with the committee members. The Sikh youths carried out slogans for another 10 minutes and on two occasion, the police had made efforts to pacify them but they did not listen to police. The police did not use any force and after sometimes, the youths dispersed automatically.
Later, the SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar reached at the venue where the crowd was listening to speeches of high priests and other dignitaries.
Akal Takht Jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti, SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar, Keshgarh Sahib Jathedar Giani Tarlochan Singh, Takht Damdama Sahib Jathedar Balwant Singh Nandgarh delivered speeches. During their address to people they wholeheartedly thanked to various Sikh organizations for participating in the protest march given against the Dera Sacha Sauha chief. They strongly criticized the Dera chief, who had deeply hurt the Sikh sentiments, which is nonpardonable. The government has been asked through the memorandum to take stern action against the Dera chief and prosecute him by filing criminal case under section 295-A of the IPC and should given maximum punishment and this section should be amended to give life imprisonment. The SGPC and other Sikh religious organisations will intensity the movement to clean the dirt and dust, which has been spread in the Sikh religion by the persons like Dera chief.
The Sikhs were appealed to carry out protests against Dera chief in a peaceful manner and should not carry unsheathed swords etc, which may jeopardize their movement. A peaceful atmosphere should be maintained. They said that the Sikh bodies like SGPC should start preaching the Sikh religion in a way where the persons , who had left Sikhism and joined Dera Sacha Sauda, should be brought back to the Sikh religion.
SGPC president categorically hailed the victory of Sikhs on the line that for the first time, the representatives of Governors have themselves approached the Sikh bodies for collecting a memorandum. He said that a penal of legal luminariesshould be constituted to contest the cases those who committed sons against Sikh religions like Dera Sacha Sauda chief.
They also criticized Dera Head for displaying the religious symbols of Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims and Christians and the government should take stern action against him to prevent him from misusing their religious symbols, which is endangering the nationalunity and integration.
During the middle of speeches, the ADCs to Governors of Punjab and Haryana who came by the side of the stage were invited to collect memorandum, which was already delivered to them earlier.
The protest march concluded after performance of Ardas by Giani Tarlochan Singh around 12.35 PM. No untoward incident came to notice during the whole protest march except raising the slogans. There was poor response of people to the protest march and it was not taken in an organized manner. The different groups of Sant Samaj religious leaders, Nihangs,SAD(Badal group), SAD(Amritsar group) moved in separate groups.
Around 100 personnel of RAF were deployed at the outskirts of Fatehgarh Sahib on the route towards Chandigarh near Fatehgarh Sahib byepass. There were around 2, 000 security men in uniform and plain clothed deployed enrooted protest march and inside the Gurdwara complex. Patiala Range IG N.K. Tiwari, Fatehgarh Sahib SSP Nilabh Kishore, SAS Nager SSP R.S. Khatra, Fatehgarh Sahib DC Alaknanda Dayal, SAS Nager DC HIS Grewal supervised the security men arrangements near Gurdwara Jyoti Swaroop and other area.