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Balvir Singh is
new Budha Dal chief
WSN Network
Patiala: At the bhog ceremony held here on Monday for four of his
close relatives killed recently, Balvir Singh was recognised as the
next head of the Nihang Singhs’ organisation, Shiromani Path Akali
Budha Dal Karori, by panthic organisations including the Shiromani
Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).
The Dal was
earlier considered to be very close to the Congress party but, with
this new development, it has come closer to the Akali Dal (Badal).
There was a race between two groups of Nihangs for the leadership
that caused bloodshed just a few days ago on September 21 in Patiala
in which the officiating head of the Budha Dal, Balvir Singh, had
lost his father, Asa Singh, two brothers Jagdish Singh and Bhajan
Singh and a nephew, Karamjit Singh.
The police had
registered a murder case against about two dozen people including
Uday Singh, a nephew of Santa Singh, head of the Budha Dal, his
wife, son, daughter and another important Nihang leader, Surjit
Singh. Eight persons have been arrested by the police so far but
Uday and Surjit are still at large.
Uday played a key
role in running all the educational institutes of the Budha Dal
including Budha Dal Public School in Patiala which has won a NASA
contest twice. Organising the bhog ceremony in the schoolground, the
Balvir Singh group also demonstrated its tight grip on the Dal’s
educational institutes.
During the
ceremony Santa was brought in on a wheel-chair.
After the antim
ardaas, a turban touched by Santa’s hand was tied around Balvir’s
head, symbolising the handing over of the Dal’s responsibilities to
him.
Besides the five
Sikh high priests, SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar and former SGPC
chiefs Kirpal Singh Badungar and Bibi Jagir Kaur also participated
in the ‘dastarbandi’ (tying of the turban) ceremony.
Leaders of the
Sant Samaj, other Sikh organisations and the Akali Dal (Badal) also
presented turbans to Balvir Singh.
3
October, 2007
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