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| Punjab heeds Sikh demands, registers case against Dera head | | |
CHANDIGARH, MAY 20
A case was today registered by police against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for allegedly hurting religious sentiments ahead of a crucial meeting of the Sikh clergy, a move the Punjab government hoped would help "cool down tempers".
The action came a day after the Dera head expressed regret over the "chain of events" that occurred after newspaper advertisements featured him attired like 17th century Sikh Guru Gobind Singh.
The advertisements had led to outbreak of sectarian violence in the state, claiming a life and causing much damage to government and private properties.
The Sirsa-based Dera head has been charged by Punjab Police under section 295-A of the IPC relating to deliberate malicious act intended to outrage the religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or its religious belief, a government spokesman said.
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal's media advisor Harcharan Singh Bains hoped that the registration of the case "will help in cooling down tempers", but was non-committal on the arrest of the Dera chief. "The law will take its own course," Bains merely said when asked about the possibility of his arrest.
The move is seen as an attempt to placate the Sikh religious leaders who had given a 72-hour deadline to the government to take action against the Dera chief. The time limit set by the Sikh clergy expires today and the five head priests of the community are meeting later in the evening to chalk out the future course of action.
Sikh leaders had reacted strongly to the enigmatic Dera chief's alleged imitation of their Guru, describing it an act of sacrilege, and had decided to socially boycott him besides asking the government to shut down all dera properties across the state.
The case, registered at Kotwali police station in Bhatinda on a complaint filed by local Sikh leader Rajinder Singh Sadhu, also comes a day after a case was filed against the Dera head in a Meerut court for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of the Sikh community.
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