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Sikhs protest sacrilege
| Chandigarh: The Dal Khalsa
International leader, Kanwarpal Singh Bittu has charged that the Punjab
Government had not taken any action on the various incidents of sacrilege
reported from various parts of the State. Bittu said it had been decided
to organise a State-wide strike and also to ``seal off'' Chandigarh. The
events of sacrilege were reminiscent of the incidents of 1978, when the
Nirankari-Sikh clash led to sectarian tension, articulated in the years of
terrorism. Agitated Sikh leaders, who took out a protest rally here ,
accused the Badal Government of soft-pedalling the issue for electoral
considerations. The Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee chief, Mr.
Jagdev Singh Talwandi, alleged that the culprit and self-styled godman,
Baba Piara Singh Bhaniara, was being protected and patronised by ministers
and leaders of the Shiromani Akali Dal as well as senior bureaucrats. The
former SGPC chief, Mr. G.S. Tohra, the radical leader, Mr. Simranjit Singh
Mann, the former Jathedar of the Akal Takht, Bhai Ranjit Singh, and Mr.
Bittu quoted the recent Supreme Court judgment and pointed out that Guru
Granth Sahib was a ``juristic person''. Those burning it should be tried
under Section 302 of the IPC and tried for murder. Mr. Mann disagreed with
the ruling Akali faction's argument that the Baba was patronised by the
Congress(I) and hence that party should be blamed. He charged that Baba
Bhaniara had encroached on forest land and set up his headquarters in
Ropar district. Mr. Mann said the State Government had done nothing to
check his activities, which included inciting the Sikhs. He alleged that
the RSS and the Sangh Parivar were also involved and that they were trying
to disturb the community. In a statement, the State Congress(I) president,
Capt. Amarinder Singh, underlined his party's ``secular character'' and
stressed that it respected all religions and was the first to condemn the
incidents of sacrilege. The ruling party leaders were issuing baseless
allegations out of frustration as defeat stared them in the face in the
coming Assembly polls. Over the last few weeks, the Sikhs, who accept the
Guru Granth Sahib as the ``living guru'', have been in confrontation with
Baba Bhaniara, who has proclaimed himself a living guru. He has authored
his own scriptures, called the Bhavsagar Granth, and has managed a
substantial following among the Dalits. He had earlier declared that he
was not a Sikh and the Akal Takht had asked all Sikhs to sever ties with
him. The present crisis began when the Guru Granth Sahib was set afire on
September 17 at Rasoolpur village near Morinda, about 30 km from here.
This came after the Bhavsagar Granth was burnt by activists of the ruling
Akali faction. q |
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