May 27, 2007
Dera Apologizes,
Sikh Clergy to Meet Tuesday
Sirsa (Haryana)/Chandigarh
Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmit Ram Rahim tendered an apology Sunday
evening - the deadline set by the Akal Takht for the sect to vacate
its campuses in Punjab following a controversy over the godman's
portrayal allegedly in the manner of 10th Sikh guru Gobind Singh.
"We seek an apology from Guru Gobind Singh in the interest of
humanity and peace," said the sect in a statement issued from its
headquarters in Sirsa, about 300 km from state capital Chandigarh.
The press release came from the sect and not from the chief himself.
Also the sect apology was sought from the Sikh guru - who had
founded the Khalsa (The Pure) faith in 1699 - and there was no
mention of apologising to the Sikh community or the Sikh clergy
which had felt offended by the action of the sect chief earlier this
month.
The Sikh clergy has called a meeting in the Sikh holy city Amritsar
Tuesday to discuss the apology, Akal Takht head Joginder Singh
Vedanti said.
"We will discuss the dera apology at the meeting," Vedanti said.
Referring to the controversial portrayal in a newspaper
advertisement earlier this month, the dera statement said: "Let
alone imitating the revered guru, we cannot even imagine this
thought."
The apology comes after efforts led by religious leader and social
activist Swami Agnivesh who along with a multi-religion delegation
mediated between the two sides.
The controversy had sparked protests across Punjab and parts of
Haryana, with many Sikhs laying siege around Dera campuses. Clashes
between the two sides nearly a fortnight ago had led to one death in
Punjab.
While the dera had last Sunday "regretted" the events, the Akal
Takht - the highest temporal seat of Sikhism - had insisted on
closure of all deras or campuses by Sunday.
Hardline Sikh organisations have been demanding nothing less than
the arrest of the dera chief for "blasphemy" of their religion.
"If other political and religious leaders can be put behind bars for
various reasons, why can't he be arrested?" Mokham Singh of Damdami
Taksal asked.
Meanwhile, Punjab remained peaceful Sunday even as the Akal Takht
deadline to the sect to vacate its campuses in the state came to an
end with no untoward incident being reported.
Nearly 100,000 Punjab Police personnel and over 40 companies of
paramilitary forces were in place in the state.
The sect headquarters were provided unprecedented security by the
Haryana police and central forces as thousands of dera followers
descended for their Sunday congregation.
Though Punjab and parts of Haryana remained tense, there seemed to
be no sign of the sect vacating any of its campuses either.
"The deadline has ended and the dera has not acted according to the
hukumnama (edict) of the Akal Takht. Now we will decide on how we
deal with this man (dera chief)," radical Sikh leader Jathedar
Nandgarh said.
Security forces were on high alert particularly in the cotton-rich
Malwa belt of south Punjab - which has a large number of dera
followers - and the Sikh holy city of Amritsar.
The sect campuses at Salabatpura, the biggest campus of the sect in
Punjab located 30 km from Bathinda, Malout, Sangrur and Sunam were
virtually fortified by police and the Border Security Force (BSF) to
prevent any clashes.
Any recurrence of violence will put Punjab's Akali Dal government
led by Parkash Singh Badal in an embarrassing situation.
In Sangrur town, 160 km from Chandigarh, a memorial service was held
for Kanwaljit Singh, who was killed in a clash between sect
followers and Sikhs in Sunam May 17.
Sikh leaders have described him as a martyr of the community. But
his father Bant Singh urged Sikhs not to politicise his son's death.
However, ruling Akali Dal leaders and Sikh religious leaders
descended in Sangrur to attend the memorial service. These included
Akali Dal working president Sukhbir Singh Badal, son of Parkash
Singh Badal and sitting MP, and former union minister S.S. Dhindsa.
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