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Daljit Singh thrown in jail, Harinder Khalsa under house arrest

WSN Bureau

LUDHIANA/BATHINDA: In a desperate bid to thwart the Khalsa Action Committee's proposed Bathinda rally on February 10 focused on the Dear Sacha Sauda issue, teams of Punjab Police swooped upon residences and establishments of senior leaders like Bhai Daljit Singh Bittu, Bhai Jasbir Singh Rode and Bhai Harwinder Singh Khalsa besides picking up many a worker across the state.

Bhai Daljit Singh, co-convener of the KAC, a body that primarily came into existence following the Sacha Sauda dera row, was arrested in the early hours of Thursday from his residence and sent to Ludhiana central jail.

Former diplomat Harinder Singh Khalsa was placed under house arrest in Ludhiana. Former Akal Takht jathedar and senior Akali leader Bhai Jasbir Singh Rode was also detained for three hours on Thursday morning but later let off.

These leaders have been at the forefront in the community's struggle against Gurmeet am Rahim, the murder and rape accused head of the dera who had imitated the tenth Sikh Guru and ridiculed the concept of Amrit (Baptism). The state police did file a case against him under section 295 a of the IPC for hurting the religious feelings but failed to arrest him despite the gravity of the charges and the situation. India's top sleuthing agency, the CBI, has charged him in rape and murder cases but the state of Haryana provided him with Z plus security, the highest level of securioty provided to anyone in India, including the Prime Minister.

Condemning the arrest of the leaders, the Convenor of the Khalsa Action Committee, Bhai Mohkam Singh, said that as Sukhbir Singh Badal, the new president of the Shiromani Akali Dal is planning to contest elections from Bhatinda, the government wanted to soft-pedal the Sauda baba who has played with the religious sentiments of the Sikh people in Punjab. "It is ironic that the Akali government is not even taking the necessary steps in preparing their brief in the high court where the case is pending adjudication, but on the contrary is harassing leaders who want that action should be taken against the pseudo-baba," he said.

He said the KAC would not be cowed down by the Badal government's move and the Khalsa March on 10th February starting from Gurdwara Bhai Rupa in Bhatinda would be held.

7 February 2008
 

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