Dozens wounded on Day 2 of Punjab violence
May 15, 2007 - 8:46:47 PM
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The Dera leadership had openly sided with the Congress in the February assembly elections in Punjab. It asked its followers to vote for the Congress candidates, which led to the ruling Akali Dal suffering major reverses in the cotton-rich Malwa belt in southern Punjab - home to some one million Dera followers.
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By IANS,
[RxPG] Bathinda -, May 15 - Nearly two dozen people, mostly policemen, were wounded Tuesday on the second straight day of violence involving members of a religious sect in this Punjab town.
The day's violence saw thousands of followers of the Punjabi religious sect, Dera Sacha Sauda, attack policemen, torch police vehicles and ambulances and damage public property before retreating from the town.
Fifteen people were injured in Monday's rioting between Dera followers and members of Sikh organisations, including the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee.
Violence flared up over a newspaper advertisement taken out by the secular sect allegedly portraying its head, Baba Gurmit Ram Rahim, dressed like the revered 10th Sikh guru, Gobind Singh.
Several religious organisations representing the majority Sikh community of Punjab took offence at the advertisements and burnt effigies of Gurmit Ram Rahim across Punjab, setting off a spiral of violence.
Schools and colleges were ordered closed in this town till further orders. Shops also remained closed Monday and Tuesday.
Police fired teargas shells on the thousands of followers of the sect gathered here since Monday.
The Dera followers, called Premis, damaged property and came out on the streets of Bathinda with sticks, outnumbering the police and forcing it to retreat at several places.
Although calm was restored at Bathinda Tuesday, several other major towns were tense, with reports of clashes between Sikhs and Dera followers at Patiala and Ludhiana.
After the clashes, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal issued an appeal for communal harmony.
Gurmit Ram Rahim also urged his followers to be peaceful. Speaking from his headquarters at Sirsa town headquarters in adjoining Haryana state he said he had done nothing wrong and that he had not tried to deliberately portray himself as Guru Gobind Singh.
Zonal Inspector General of police M.K. Tiwari said that action would be taken against the Dera followers who had attacked police and damaged property.
The Dera leadership had openly sided with the Congress in the February assembly elections in Punjab. It asked its followers to vote for the Congress candidates, which led to the ruling Akali Dal suffering major reverses in the cotton-rich Malwa belt in southern Punjab - home to some one million Dera followers.
Across India, the sect is reported to have a following of some 20 million.
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