Breaking News: Sikhs Clash With Dera Sucha Sauda Followers In Punjab, 12 Injured

[PrabhzSingh]

I can't believe your all still talking about it. 68 pages of opinions. Wow.

[Guest PunjabSingh]

This is just cut & paste from my side. I do not fully subscribe to the views expressed in the article

Return of the Khalistanis

By Asit Jolly

A group of ageing Khalistanis, on Sunday, gave their blessings to the Bhujang Khalsa — a marjeevada or suicide squad that has been specially raised to implement the Akal Takht’s writ on shutting down more than a hundred Punjab-based centres belonging to the Dera Sacha Sauda.

Amidst suddenly louder than ever before "Khalistan Zindabad!" slogans, the new-generation Sikh nationalists chalked grim strategies to carry out the task assigned to them — preceded by their kirpans (swords) the marjeevade will first use "gentle persuasion" to get Dera followers to distance themselves from their spiritual master, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. And where this fails, they will employ "harsher steps." The marjeevade have vowed to "create terror in the minds of Dera followers." Egged on by their radical elders, the boys have already earmarked a chowk in Punjab’s Muktsar Town as the "cremation site" for the Sacha Sauda chief.

Condemned for more than a decade to a peripheral existence until last week, the separatist Khalistani fringe of Punjab is determinedly pushing its way back to the centre stage. The sectarian confrontation between Sikhs and the ten million strong Sacha Sauda sect has been marked by a disturbing revival of Khalistani rhetoric. Marginalised radicals, who were only occasionally heard and seen at Operation Bluestar anniversaries and the bhog ceremonies of their old comrades, are now orchestrating the building clamour for the Dera chief’s head.

All the way from Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana to Patiala, Mansa, Muktsar, Bhatinda and even in Jammu, Khalistanis can be seen leading the violent street protests against the purportedly sacrilegious acts of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. And though the men and women they lead are no Khalistanis, they all willingly join in the separatist chorus amidst rising tempers and cleverly provocative cues from the radicals. Men like Harnam Singh Dhumma, Daljit Bittoo, Kanwar Pal Singh, Gurnam Bandala, Wassan Singh Zaffarwal, Atinder Pal Singh and Jasbir Singh Rode are suddenly visible, besides over-ground radicals of Simranjit Singh Mann and Bhai Ram Singh’s ilk. In Patiala, crowds of ordinary Sikhs shouted out their approval when the former MP and out-of-work Khalistani, Atinder Pal Singh promised that Sikhs would exact their revenge for the Dera chief’s insult to Guru Gobind Singh "on the edge of the khanda (a kind of large sword)."

Also hob-nobbing with the extremist constituency, the jathedar or head priest of the Sikh Takht Damdama Sahib, Balwant Singh Nandgarh publicly offered to weigh in pure gold, "the brave Sikh who brings back Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh’s head."

Both Nandgarh and Atinder Pal Singh’s proclamations dangerously echo the turbulent summer of 1978, when following the Akali-Nirankari clash at Chowk Mehta on Baisakhi day, Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale offered a similar bounty for the then Nirankari chief’s head. Two Sikhs, including Ranjit Singh who was later crowned Jathedar of the Akal Takht, actually carried out Bhindranwale’s bidding and assassinated Baba Gurbachan Singh in Delhi. What ensued for the next ten years is history.

And just as Bhindranwale had then proclaimed a young man gunned down by police near Amritsar as the first martyr of the holy war against the Indian state, Jathedar Nandgarh too named Kamaljit Singh — the man who died trying to storm the Sacha Sauda centre at Sunam last Thursday — as the "pratham shaheed" of the new "dharam yudh."

Kamaljit Singh’s funeral on Friday was attended by a galaxy of former Khalistanis, including the present Damdami Taksal chief, Harnam Singh Dhumma, Sikh Students Federation activist Daljit Singh Bittoo, Kanwar Pal Singh of the Dal Khalsa and many familiar faces from the puritanical Akhand Kirtani Jatha. Blinded by an obvious desire to teach the Dera a lesson for siding with Congress in the Assembly elections, the moderate Sikh leadership led by chief minister Parkash Singh Badal appears to have lost sight of the dangers a radical revival could pose not just to Punjab and the rest of the country, but even its own political future.

The new Khalistani nationalists are far smarter and significantly a lot more patient than they were known to be in the past. The current conflagration, for them, is only a means to the larger end. With the honour of no less a personage than Guru Gobind Singh at stake, the Badal government runs the very real risk of angering its traditional support base if it is perceived as acting even remotely contrary to the writ of the Akal Takht.

Aware of the huge opportunity such a situation offers them, the radicals — who are freely enlarging and interpreting the clergy’s successive verdicts — are looking to regain political space in pursuance of their eventual aim.

"You wait and watch. If things continue at the present pace, we will definitely grab a substantial majority in the SGPC elections two years from now," says Kanwar Pal Singh, a senior Amritsar-based functionary of the Dal Khalsa.

"This is a confrontation that will never end. Even if they do close down Sacha Sauda’s deras in Punjab, there will be trouble every time the sect attempts to hold a function here. And every time the true face of the Akali Dal will become exposed before the Sikhs," he said.

The imminent resurrection of the Khalistani fringe is understandably worrying many who witnessed the violent Eighties and Nineties in Punjab.

"This is not at all a good trend," says former Punjab police chief K.P.S. Gill. But in his opinion it is all a predictable consequence of the fact that successive governments at Chandigarh and Delhi "have been overly lenient in dealing with remnant Khalistani elements."

The retired super cop insists that the only way out is for the Centre and the state to take tough action. "Sikhs have never been known to display a mob mentality and if tackled in time, it will not at all be difficult to control the problem," he said, suggesting in remedy, "a few no-nonsense lathicharges to dispel any doubts that the government knows its business."

Failing the firm hand that Mr Gill is advocating Punjab could very easily slide right back into the nightmarish Eighties.

Besides the scores of Sacha Sauda followers that are already beginning to flee Punjab in fear of becoming targets, the sight and sound of naked swords and threatening slogans is also giving root to apprehensions amidst Hindus and other communities.

http://www.asianage.com/presentation/leftn...halistanis.aspx

Was Asit Jolly there at the meeting of the "Bhujang Khalsa" .Is it so easy to enter the meetings of Khalistani jathebandis ?

By the way here is a breaking news just shown on "Total TV " from Delhi .Jagmohan Phutela their correspondent in Punjab has just revealed that he had met a person at Talwandi Sabo who introduced him to a group of 5 Singhs who he claimed were suicide bombers.He further revealed that he met the same person at Akal Takht the day the hukamnama was pronounced from there .That Singh told him that if the Akal Takht again gives a soft Hukamnama they are going to target Ram Raheem of Sirsa dera .

Phutela further says that after the Akal Takht hukamnama he again asked the Singh what would be his further action the Singh said that they now agree with the Akal Takht hukamnama and now there was no need of action at the moment .

Phutela further said that he did not take the shots of the Singhs in the larger interest of peace in Punjab.Phutela again said that now that the Sirsa dera has not apologised and further if deras are not closed till May 27,he fears the 5 member suicide squad might carry out the action against the dera.

Harjot Singh Brar

[Guest PunjabSingh]

Here is the latest news from Punjab and around .

Punjab bandh today is total and peaceful .

Situation at some places particularly Sangrur,Sunam and Bathinda is as if a curfew is imposed .

At Faridkot 2000 Sikhs took out a peaceful demonstration.

A large peaceful demonstration was also witnessed at Ludhiana .

However there are reports of police lathi charge on peacefully protesting Sikhs at Ambala .Sikhs are also protesting in Jammu .Jammu bandh is total.There are reports of damage to 2 school buildings in Poonch .

Sikhs are also protesting in Delhi with black bands on their hands .

Harjot Singh Brar

[khalistan_zindabaad]

actually sant jee mentions it in his speaches. wrt narkhdhari baba

[Guest PunjabSingh]

6000-7000 Sikhs protest peacefully at Sirsa the headquarters of Ram Raheem .Peaceful bandh observed at Sirsa also .

[wjkk wjkf]

I'm sorry I have to disagree

there are plenty of other solutions - instead of getting together as a mob and burning innocent dera followers homes...i dont care what dera they from you just dont do that...it aint <admin-profanity filter activated> for tat! - we become as bad as they are dont we? Think about it - the media depict us as immature haters - are we giving them any reason not to? You got our leaders calling for someone to kill the baba and they'll pay gold but will they get off their butts n do it themselves? Nope. I know I cant talk from this PC screen but if I WERE in punjab you would NOT see me going to the streets cos what will that achieve? please someone answer this question...how does vandalism and raiding of shops help sikhi? or make us different from DSS? I salute shaheeds and I applaude those of the protesters who TRULLY believe in what they are doing...but from what i hear and see- most of them are making things worse!

Once again, complaining without having a solution is useless.

We have yet to have anyone post a practical solution other than whats happening in india right now.

Fateh

lol a practical solution is not to abuse protests by raids and vandalism - sure protest but why break into shops and burn innocent peoples' homes? A practical solution would be to protest peacefully (as they are finally doing now). A practical solution would be to do one better than the DSS followers and clear the streets of punjab up, plant trees (like I know some people have taken the initiative to do) and really PROVE that we actaully care about Punjab's haalat. A practical solution would be to close not just this Dera but ALL such places where the Guru is made a mockery out of...Naamdharis, Sant Nirankaris whatever.... there's no point in taking a stand and then in ten days' time let it slide...and besides all these solutions I'm pretty sure there are some more.

Naam Jappo

Bhul Chukk Maaf Karro

[sunny_love_kirtan]

FIGHT BETWEEN SIKH PROTESTERS AND POLICE IN AMBALA

UNEXPECTED BIG CROWD OF SIKH PROTESTERS IN SIRSA ( PEACEFUL PROTEST)

RAILWAYS SERVICES EFFECTED IN AMRITSAR

[PrabhzSingh]

Calm down people this isnt the journalists corner....

[PrabhzSingh]

Calm down people this isnt the journalists corner....

[Barjinder Singh]

quote of the day

"" Eh baba na Rahim da, Na Ram da,

Eh Baba hai Haraam da!! Haraam Da!! Haraam da!!""