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Now, goons of another dera attack a
Sikh paper
Non-action in Gurmeet Ram Rahim case brings Ashutosh’s goons to Sikh paper’s
offices
WSN Network
JALANDHAR/LUDHIANA/ELSEWHERE:
Sirsa based Dera Sacha Sauda's head, a murder and rape accused
Gurmeet Ram Rahim, insulted the entire Sikh panth and right-thinking
people anywhere, but with the governments remaining pusillanimous,
the only signal that went out to self-styled criminals-turned-godmen
was to go hammer and tongs after a people whom the powers-that-be
are in no mood to protect from hoodlums and goons.
Last Saturday,
self-styled godman Ashutosh of Noormehal, who used to run his little
cult by claiming that he can make people see some mysterious light
and was called 'lightan wala baba', instigated his followers and
some women associates to attack journalists in town after town in
Punjab because a newspaper 'Spokesman' had exposed certain aspects
of his cult and persona which brought shame to Ashutosh.
Women followers
ransacked offices of the newspaper in Jalandhar, Ludhiana,
Muktsar,Ludhiana, Patiala, Batala and elsewhere, beat up reporters,
removed turbans of many, and were then allowed to go scotfree by
policemen at the instance of the political party in power.
The Ashutosh
cult, known as Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan is infamous for its
shady sadhvi tradition wherein young girls are kept in dera with no
contact at all with the outside world, and are indoctrinated to such
an extent that they leave their parents, home etc and claim only and
only to serve the baba.
Keeping young
unmarried girls in the deras is something common to many self styled
godmen, including dera Sirsa Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim. The
Shiromani Khalsa Panchayat and may other Sikh bodies fought a long
and hard battle against the Ashutosh dera and the panchayat
activists were even attacked by the dera people but the Sikh clergy
helped little at that moment. The latest provocation is of a piece
with the earlier activities of Ashutosh cult.
In Patiala,
some 100 women barged into the Spokesman newspaper's first floor
office at Choti Baradari around 2.30 pm, smashing windowpanes,
damaging computers and furniture and setting newspaper copies on
fire.
The newspaper
had reported the goings on inside the dera based on the sworn
testimony of a driver of Ashutosh, Puran Singh. The case was very
familiar with the case of Khatta Singh, the driver of Sirsa fraudman
who had spilled the beans leading to chargesheeting of the dera head
by none other than the CBI.
Many believe the
Parkash Singh Badal's lenient attitude towards the Ashutosh sect
women and goons was because of the fact that the Spokesman newspaper
is known for its severe criticism of not just the state government
but even personally of the Badal family. Its editor Joginder Singh
Sahni had fallen foul of the Sikh clergy and was excommunicated from
the Sikh Panth through a hukamnama from the Akal Takht. He has
remained adamant, considers himself a Sikh and continues to attack
the selection and appointment mode of the clergy. Apart from that,
the Spokesman newspaper is known for meddling in controversial
waters on many issues related to Sikhism but thankfully there have
been no voices raised to defend the Ashutosh cult's attack against
it. The WSN newspaper management has strongly condemned the attack
(Read separate statement inside).
All attacks
seemed well planned.
The Dal Khalsa
has asked the Punjab
government to act strictly against Divya Jyoti Jagran sect led by
Aushotosh. H S Dhami and Kanwarpal Singh said a large conspiracy was
hatched to create disharmony in the state and the dilly-dallying on
the part of the administration reflects the tactical support of the
government.
3
October, 2007
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