Dera Sucha Sauda -Sikh conflict in India

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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Punjab waits with bated breath </b>
Pioneer News Service | Chandigarh
Bandh total but tension simmers

The bandh in Punjab on Tuesday was complete and peaceful, barring stray incidents in certain remote areas.

The bandh called by the Akal Takht to protest the alleged blasphemous act of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh, posing as Guru Gobind Singh.   

The threat of disturbance, however, still persists since the Akal Takht has also given an ultimatum to the Dera to vacate all deras by May 27.

The hardliners took out protest marches and <span style='color:red'>raised slogans of Khalistan in Amritsar and several other towns. </span>"The bandh was completely peaceful and essential services were maintained", claimed Harcharan Bains, media advisor to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

Normal life was badly hit as shops and other business establishments, educational institutions remained closed and public transport remained off the roads. Attendance in offices was thin. The trouble, however, spilled to Haryana and Jammu where protests were held by Sikhs. 
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