Sikhs postpone protest rally in Haryana town

By IANS

Chandigarh : A proposed rally by the Sikh community to be held Wednesday at a town close to the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters in Haryana has been called off.


Support TwoCircles

The Sikh rally – the call for which was given by Akal Takht, highest temporal seat of Sikhism, a fortnight ago – was postponed Monday evening, a spokesman of the Akal Takht said.

He said that the decision taken by Sikh clergy was aimed at maintaining peace and harmony.

The move to hold the rally at Ratia town in Haryana's Fatehabad district, 300 km from here, was giving anxious moments to the Haryana government and Haryana police as thousands of Sikhs were expected to participate in it at a venue which is barely 15 km away from the sect headquarters in Sirsa.

Moreover, the sect management had also called for a big prayer meeting of its followers at its headquarters on the same day – which has now been postponed by a day.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his Haryana counterpart Bhupinder Singh Hooda as well as senior civil and police officials from both states had met last week to discuss the issue.

The Haryana government was apprehensive that the rally could lead to violence.

Punjab had witnessed violence May after dera chief Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh portrayed himself like 10th Sikh guru Gobind Singh. This had led to protests from the Sikh community.

The dera chief's two reluctant apologies were later rejected by the Akal Takht that demanded his arrest. A court in Bathinda town in south Punjab issued non-bailable warrants against him after he was booked for hurting religious sentiments of Sikhs but the godman was granted interim bail till Aug 6 by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The Sikh community and dera followers have been at loggerheads in the two states since the controversy erupted early May.

SUPPORT TWOCIRCLES HELP SUPPORT INDEPENDENT AND NON-PROFIT MEDIA. DONATE HERE