|
Succession war
turns ugly; 4 killed as nihangs clash
WSN Network
 Patiala: In the war of succession in the Shiromani Panth Akali Budha
Dal (Panjwan Takht), four nihangs belonging to the sect, who are
relatives of Baba Balbir Singh, were killed in a clash between two
warring groups on September 21 in Patiala.
In April 2007, Baba
Santa Singh formally announced Balbir Singh as the legal heir of
Shiromani Panth Akali Baba Budha Dal, headed by Baba Santa Singh.
The dal is also important in the light of the fact that it controls
the affairs of one of Patiala's most prestigious schools, the Buddha
Dal Public School.
The deceased were
identified as Balbir Singh’s son Assa Singh (70), his two brothers
Bhajan Singh (40) and Jagdish Singh (38) and nephew Karamjit Singh
(22). The condition of Darshan Singh, one of the seriously injured,
is reported to be critical.
According to
eyewitness accounts, the clash took place after supporters of Baba
Santa Singh stopped the rival group led by a nephew of the baba.
“The altercation later turned bloody and numerous gunshots were
fired continuously for more than 20 minutes,” he added.
Senior police
officials, who rushed to the spot, said Baba Santa Singh has named
Balbir Singh as his successor in place of his nephew Uday Singh and
this triggered today’s violence.
The police said Uday
Singh and his supporters came to the gurdwara in the evening and
said they wanted to meet Baba Santa Singh. However, supporters of
Balbir Singh did not let them in. A clash followed this encounter
between the two groups.
The police added
that Uday Singh and his supporters managed to flee from the spot but
left behind their vehicle. The accused used the rear wall of the
dera to flee.
Different groups of
nihangs have been vying for this status for the past many years. On
a number of occasions the groups have clashed with each other to
establish their supremacy.
26
September, 2007
|
Read Also