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Police books Sikhs for murder bid
charges after clash with dera men
WSN Network
MEHRAJ (BATHINDA):
Even as Punjab Police is going out of the way to arrest and
intimidate Sikh leaders fighting against fraudster Sirsa dera head
and the Badal government is trying to wash its hands off the Akal
takht hukumnama on the dera issue, the provocations from the
followers of Sirsa sadh are simply not stopping.
Despite tense
atmosphere on the issue of
Nam
charcha, the police gave its tacit go ahead, leading to a clash
between the Sikh sangat and dera followers last Sunday that left
five persons dead, including a policeman, at Mehraj village.
Despite deployment
of heavy police force, tension prevailed in the area.
The clash took
place when the Dera followers gathered at the village grain market
for a `naam charcha' which is being objected to by Sikh sangat.
As the sect
followers started their prayers, activists of Ek Noor Khalsa Fauj
and SAD (Panch Pardhani) objected to it. Dera followers later
gathered at nearby Sirtaj palace.
In the ensuing
clash, Sikh activists Harmet Singh and Kulbir Singh, dera follower
Satnam Insan, police constable Kewal Singh and one Sham Lal were
injured. They were rushed to the Civil Hospital at Rampura town.
Heavy police force
led by Bathinda SSP Ashish Chaudhary and SP Amrik Singh Warriach
rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.
The attitude of the
police towards Sikh sensitivities and the overt support to such
action by the regime was clear from the fact that the police
registered an attempt to murder case against Baba Hardeep Singh,
Ranjit Singh, Gurdeep Singh, Chanan Singh, Sukhdev Singh, Manmohan
Singh and others at the Phul police station.
Meanwhile, the Dera
followers claimed that they had obtained permission from the
district administration for `naam charcha'.
On the other hand,
Baba Hardeep Singh lambasted Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for
allegedly being hand in glove with the Dera to sabotage the Sikh
struggle against Dera head Gurmit Ram Rahim, who had hurt the Sikh
sentiments. "Badal should join Dera Sacha Sauda and avoid the tag of
Panthic government," he said.
7
October 2009
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