05-15-2007, 12:27 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>12 injured in clash at Bathinda </b>
Pioneer.com
Satinder Bains | Chandigarh
Punjab CM appeals for peace, harmony
<b>At least 12 persons were seriously injured in a clash between followers of Dera Sacha Sauda of Sirsa and certain Sikh organisations at Bathinda</b>, the cotton hub of Punjab, 230 km from here.
The clashing groups openly used sharp-edged weapons, including swords and spears. Heavy police force was deployed after the incident, reports reaching here said.
Additional DGP Chander Shekhar who described the situation as peaceful and under control said no arrests had been made so far. He said that Inspector General Patiala range MK Tiwari would conduct an inquiry into incident.
The Bathinda incident is seen as a repeat of the Sikh-Nirankari clash in Amritsar on April 13, 1978 in which 13 Sikhs were killed in firing by followers of Nirankari chief Baba Gurbachan Singh. Nirankaris were ex-communicated from the Sikh Panth by Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs after the clash. The Amritsar clash was the turning point in the militancy that engulfed the State for over two decades till the late 90s.
<b>Communal tension was building up between the followers of Dera Sacha Sauda and Sikh organisations since the time of the Punjab Assembly elections in February, following Dera head Baba Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh's instructions to back the candidates fielded by the Congress. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) had lost at least 24 seats in the Malwa region of State due to this.</b>
In recent weeks there were reports of minor disputes between followers of Dera Sacha Sauda and Sikh organisations who criticised the Dera chief for serving vested interests.
<b>An advertisement issued by the Dera Sacha Sauda on Sunday in certain English newspapers was the flash point of Monday's violence. The Dera chief was shown dressed like Sikh Gurus and he had called a congregation on Monday to baptise his followers, a practice which is prevalent in Sikh religion.
The Sikh organisations opposed the action of the Dera chief and marched towards the function in the morning at around 8.30 am. where they were confronted by the Dera followers, police sources said</b>.
It may be a coincidence that Parkash Singh Badal was the Chief Minister in 1978 and is again in charge in 2007 when communal violence has rocked the State.
...............link
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Pioneer.com
Satinder Bains | Chandigarh
Punjab CM appeals for peace, harmony
<b>At least 12 persons were seriously injured in a clash between followers of Dera Sacha Sauda of Sirsa and certain Sikh organisations at Bathinda</b>, the cotton hub of Punjab, 230 km from here.
The clashing groups openly used sharp-edged weapons, including swords and spears. Heavy police force was deployed after the incident, reports reaching here said.
Additional DGP Chander Shekhar who described the situation as peaceful and under control said no arrests had been made so far. He said that Inspector General Patiala range MK Tiwari would conduct an inquiry into incident.
The Bathinda incident is seen as a repeat of the Sikh-Nirankari clash in Amritsar on April 13, 1978 in which 13 Sikhs were killed in firing by followers of Nirankari chief Baba Gurbachan Singh. Nirankaris were ex-communicated from the Sikh Panth by Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs after the clash. The Amritsar clash was the turning point in the militancy that engulfed the State for over two decades till the late 90s.
<b>Communal tension was building up between the followers of Dera Sacha Sauda and Sikh organisations since the time of the Punjab Assembly elections in February, following Dera head Baba Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh's instructions to back the candidates fielded by the Congress. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) had lost at least 24 seats in the Malwa region of State due to this.</b>
In recent weeks there were reports of minor disputes between followers of Dera Sacha Sauda and Sikh organisations who criticised the Dera chief for serving vested interests.
<b>An advertisement issued by the Dera Sacha Sauda on Sunday in certain English newspapers was the flash point of Monday's violence. The Dera chief was shown dressed like Sikh Gurus and he had called a congregation on Monday to baptise his followers, a practice which is prevalent in Sikh religion.
The Sikh organisations opposed the action of the Dera chief and marched towards the function in the morning at around 8.30 am. where they were confronted by the Dera followers, police sources said</b>.
It may be a coincidence that Parkash Singh Badal was the Chief Minister in 1978 and is again in charge in 2007 when communal violence has rocked the State.
...............link
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