Badal Offers State Funeral For Slain Religious Leader

[Azaad]

Curfew was relaxed in most of the cities on Tuesday as the state limped back to life. With Sant Surinder Dass of Dera Sachkhand Ballan issuing another fervent appeal to devotees for maintaining peace and communal harmony, the situation appeared to be improving, although tension persists. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal claimed the situation in the state to be ‘under control’ and disclosed that the state government had offered a state funeral for the slain Dera preacher in Austria, Sant Rama Nand Dass.

“The decision is for his followers and the Dera to take. We will be very happy to announce a state funeral”, the Chief Minister said. He said the Ministry of External Affairs has been asked to take up the issue of the return of the Sant’s body with the Austrian Government. The Dera has expressed a desire to have the funeral at the Dera, near Jalandhar, he informed.

Meanwhile, the head of the Dera, Sant Niranjan Dass, who too sustained gunshot injuries, is stated to be out of danger and recovering in the hospital in Vienna.

However, a man was wounded in police firing in Malout town of Muktsar district when a mob damaged the official car of the Additional Deputy Commissioner near Ravidas Nagar. Curfew was imposed in certain parts of Malout and the injured man, stated to be critical, was rushed to Ludhiana for treatment.

The Railways introduced several special trains to rescue some 40,000 passengers stranded in various parts of Punjab, Haryana and Jammu. Intervention by senior officials prevented the situation from turning ugly at several railway stations, where the Railways ran out of cash and failed to refund tickets. The trains were provided security cover. Security was also provided to convoys of trucks and other vehicles stranded at various places.

Representatives of various political parties at an all-party meeting summoned by Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal saw a direct involvement of what they called “enemies of society and anti-national forces” in destabilising peace in the state.

Condemning the violence, the all-party meeting appealed for maintaining peace in the state. Cutting across party lines, politicians asked the Union Government to take up the matter with the Austrian Government for speedy trial of the guilty. Badal, however, said the Punjab Government was unaware about the identity of those who were involved in the attack in Vienna or the motive behind the assault.

The CM said the state government was duty bound to adequately compensate everyone who had suffered loss of life and property. He confirmed that three persons had died in clashes between security personnel and people showing an “emotional and spontaneous outburst” at the attack on Dera leaders in Vienna. But he denied charges that the administration did not react to the situation promptly.

Badal further appealed to people for maintaining the hard-earned peace, unity and communal harmony achieved after innumerable sacrifices in Punjab. Adopting a resolution unanimously, the all-party meeting endorsed the steps taken by the state government to deal with the anti-national and anti-social elements firmly and condemned the dastardly act in Vienna.

The meeting was attended by Lal Singh, acting President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Leader of Opposition in the Vidhan Sabha, BJP president Rajinder Bhandari, CPI leader Joginder Dyal, BSP leaders Avtar Singh Karimpuri and Rajinder Singh Raja, CPM general secretary Charan Singh Virdi, Kamlesh Bhardwaj and Baljit Singh Dhillon of Shiv Sena Samajwadi and many others.

[Matheen]

Kya moorakh!

[sahib_bindra]

badal should be boycotted...

[Wake_Up]

Azaad or any1 else have a link to the original source from where this is quoted?

If this is true, then this is a complete joke.

[Azaad]

Badal talks to Sant in Vienna, prays for peace

Dera sends sewadars to calm followers

Tribune News Service

Amritsar/Jalandhar, May 27

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today arranged for bhog and akhand path at the Golden Temple for a speedy recovery of Sant Niranjan Dass, head of Dera Sachkhand, Ballan (Jalandhar), who was seriously injured on Sunday following an assassination attempt made at a gurdwara in Vienna. He also prayed for lasting peace in Punjab.

The Chief Minister also called up the Sant in Vienna and enquired about his well being from an aide to the Sant, whose condition is said to be stable and improving.

The Chief Minister also rubbished allegations that political parties were behind the violence in Austria and the backlash that followed in the state. “Anti-national” forces, he said, were behind it. He appreciated the appeal made by Sant Surinder Dass for maintaining peace and communal harmony in the state.

The Chief Minister also announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each for those killed in the recent violence. Suitable compensation, he declared, would be paid for the loss of property as well.

As many as 32 buses belonging to Punjab (20), Haryana (10) and Himachal Pradesh (2) were set on fire during the past few days by angry mobs protesting the attack in Vienna. Over 50 other buses were damaged. Buses started plying on Wednesday in Punjab but not on all the routes. Buses to Punjab from Himachal Pradesh too have stopped plying in view of the disturbed situation.

Asked at a press conference in Chandigarh whether it was true that Punjab police had gone out of their way to protect ‘Orbit’ group of buses and left the state buses to face the fury of the mob, state Transport Minister Mohan Lal said an inquiry would take place to find out if the concerned employees had been guilty of dereliction of duty.

Meanwhile, Secretary of the Derra Ballan Trust, S.R. Heer, informed that the Dera had dispatched sewadars to various parts of the state in a bid to pacify agitated devotees, many of whom are still worked up over the assassination bid in Austria. According to information reaching the Dera, people had been collecting in Kartarpur, Bhogpur and other places and they could turn violent.

The Dera has appealed to the followers to maintain peace and asked them to offer peaceful sit-ins away from highways and roads, he said. He had also spoken to the Deputy Chief Minister, Sukhbir Badal, and pleaded for releasing the large number of Dera supporters arrested in the wake of disturbances. He had received the assurance that the arrested protesters would be released soon, said Heer.

[Azaad]

AMRITSAR: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal here today while paying obeisance at the most popular holiest Sikh shrine Harmandhar Sahib ( Golden Temple) performed prayer for normalcy and peace in Punjab.

Talking to media persons at Golden Temple Parkash Singh Badal said that he along with his family members prayed before Waheguru (Almighty) for the well being of Sant Niranjan Singh, peace and

tranquillity across the Punjab.

Describing incident of Vienna (Austria) as highly unfortunate, Badal said that he has organised Akhand Path (chain of recitation of Sikh religious scripture) in the premises of Golden Temple particularly today for good health of Sant Niranjan Singh.

“To restore peace in Punjab is my priority and rest all the jobs including bye-elections are secondary matters for me” said Badal adding that no one would be allowed to play with the law and order across the State as security forces were already put on high alert to keep eye on the ongoing situation.

Talking about the KJF (Khalisthan Zindabad Force) militant outfit, Badal said that such people were earlier accountable for disturbance in Punjab during the peak days of militancy and now hiding at foreign countries and playing at the hands of anti Indian forces which were instrumental to disturb the heard earned peace of Punjab.

Earlier it was reported in the media that KJF had claimed responsibility of attack on Sant Rama Nand and Sant Niranjan Singh at Viana.

Badal said that he himself talked to Sant Nirnajan Singh on phone who described his condition better. Earlier on Sunday, Sant Rama Nand, 56, had died and 16 other people were injured in the Vienna temple attack, which was reportedly over a dispute about the role of castes in the Sikh religion.

A second guru, or teacher, Sant Niranjan Dass, 66, was among those wounded as Sikhs fought each other with guns and knives inside the temple.

The two gurus, who belong to a group representing low-caste Sikhs, were visiting Vienna to meet worshippers. Leaders at the temple, which opened in 2005, have campaigned against the caste system, but their stance has angered other Sikhs in Austria.

[AvnitK]

i hate politics <_<

[saint-soldier]

smh why do people keep voting for him in every damm election, is it too hard to vote for a less evil person <_<

[Guest PunjabSingh]

" Badal Offers State Funeral For Slain Religious Leader"..Nothing surprising

[sahib_bindra]

u can go to tribuneindia.com and check their archives for 27th may