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Sikhs
Denounce Deras and Government Action
Demand prosecution of Dera Sacha Sauda leader
Baljeet Sahi
 RIVERSIDE (California): Sikhs in America have strongly denounced the
activities of Dera Sacha Sauda leader Gurmit Ram Rahim and demanded
his arrest immediately. Terming the dera chief as a "criminal thug
harbored by the state and central Indian government," the members of
Coalition of Gurudwaras of California, American Gurudwara Prabandak
committee, and the watchdog group Sikhs for Preservation of Sikhism
and Sikh Heritage voiced their concerns that the government is
supporting Anti-Sikh sects and their activities.
Speaking on various issues facing the GurSikh Panth and Shiromani
Gurudwara Prabandahak Committee, and pointing to the events
occurring in India against Sikh Panth, they also referred to the
bohemian sects which included Udasis, Nirankaris, Radhaswamis,
Bhaniarawala baba, Noormahal'is, Ashutosh cult and dera Sacha Sauda.
According to the members these sects mainly indulge in enticing
women burdened by the societal evils of caste, alcoholism, abuse,
and drugs by harking to the Sikh values in the beginning but then
waver away from the objectives under the guidance of the ruling
government to ultimately become pawns, ploys and, in many cases,
active participants in the grand plan of annihilation of Sikhs from
India.
Ever since the British invoked the policy of supporting the
anti-Sikh factions after the fall of Sikh Raj in Punjab in the
nineteenth and early twentieth century, GurSikhs of the Khalsa Panth
have had to face tumultuous times. Utter discord between the British
and the Sikh Panth was marked by heinous activities of Udasis on
February 20, 1920 when more than a hundred Sikhs were massacred by a
mahant at Nankana Sahib. After the independence of India, the same
British policy has been followed by the government to continually
divide and oppress the Sikhs for political purposes.
The
events, as they are currently unfolding in Punjab and other states
in India, are reminiscent of the activities of the Nirankaris during
the late 1970s. On April 13, 1978, the Nirankaris provoked the Sikhs
and, with the help of local police, slaughtered thirteen Sikhs at
Amritsar. The carnage was the initiating factor of several
devastating blows to the Sikh Panth and Sikh community at large,
ultimately culminating into isolation of a Sikh religious leader
Sant Jarnail Singh Bhinderanwala, portrayal of his followers by the
then Congress government as "terrorists", and an attack on Golden
Temple on June 6, 1984 by the Indian army, code named Operation Blue
Star. Subsequently, the central government along with pseudo-Sikh
ruling parties drafted and adopted numerous policies which led to
strategic placement of pro-government anti-Sikh officials to
systematically eradicate GurSikh Panthis from Punjab.
The
spokespersons of the Coalition, American Gurudwara Prahandhak
Committee, and the watchdog group were enraged that the Dera of
Gurmit Ram Rahim was being protected by a paramilitary force which
was later removed with a declaration that they do not need to defend
him since he has his own armed security. They were apprehensive of
the government’s intentions. The events of last week have resulted
in an eerie unrest in the great state of Punjab and the rest of
India as well. What surprises Sikhs abroad is the wuestion as to why
the Sikhs in India cannot understand such nefarious activities of
their leaders.
Take for example the chronology of incidents which occurred in the
last few weeks. On May 3,
 2007, under the leadership of a Sikh Prime
Minister Sardar Manmohan Singh, a proposal was passed and sent to
Parliament for an amendment to the Constitution which will
permanently affect Sikhs’ status as minority in India. On May 13,
2007 a news article in The Tribune ‘Deras a cause of worry for Badal’
insinuated that pseudo-Sikh government of Punjab led by Parkash
Singh Badal will have to address the issues of growing number of
Deras in Punjab. In the same publication it was also reported that
an army exercise conducted at village Dakha in Ludiana was soft and
disappointing. Also on the same day, Dera Sacha Sauda leader
inserted an advertisement posing as a Guru preparing ‘Jaame-Insa’
depicting himself as Guru Gobind Singh Ji. On Monday, May 14, 2007
Punjab erupted into violence. It is clearly evident that the state
and politically sponsored propaganda against GurSikh Panth is well
in place. Is it a coincidence that most of the times, violence
against GurSikhs has occurred in Punjab, when the state ruling party
is a Sikh affiliated one while the central government has been one
led by the Congress Party?
Spokespersons of the Coalition, American Gurudwara Prahandhak
Committee, and the watchdog group said, “It is a serious matter for
GurSikhs and Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee that many
Deras have sprung-up all over Punjab on prime land in big prominent
villages and suburban towns. These Deras of Sacha Sauda, Nirankaris,
Ashutosh, Radhaswami, and alike, under the auspices of the state and
central government, are active recruiting grounds of anti-Sikh
propagandists. They are richly subsidized by the government and are
able to afford their own printing press, electronic media, radio,
and propaganda mechanisms while the Sikhs even as the fifth largest
religion in the world do not have either”.
A
resolution was passed by the members that time has now come that
Sikh Panth should be vigilant to make sure that the Sikh ideology &
the unique Sikh identity must be protected at all costs. All efforts
must be made in unison against tyranny in order to permanently
eradicate Deras and anti-Sikh ideology forces from Punjab. Members
also felt that the Sikh ideology is being eroded at the cost of
economical interests & the ego of a few non-panthic Sikh
leaders.Such leaders must be reminded that time has come now and
recent events are affirming that Sikhs Panth is going to rise
again to repeat what Guru Gobind Singh did in 1699 and Gurudwara
Sudhar Lehar in 1920's. There will be a revival of uniqueness of
Sikh ideology as envisioned by Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh ji.
These Sikh leaders who are asleep at this crucial time in history
will learn soon from their mistakes.
23 May,2007
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