AMRITSAR/SIRSA: At a time when the Khalsa Action Committee, the umbrella body of many a panthic organisations, is  leading the struggle against Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim and the entire construct of deravaad, who, other than Gurmeet Ram Rahim, wants it to vanish? "We do not recognise the Khalsa Action Committee. Only the SGPC will lead any agitation against the dera. We do not recognise any action committee formed after the dera head's blasphemous action." This was SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar, speaking to the media after a meeting of the executive committee of the SGPC which gave no new programme and discussed no new issue.

The Khalsa Action Committee represents entire Sant Samaj, Damdami Taksal, Akali Dal (Amritsar), DSGMC, factions of AISSF, former jathedar Jasbir Singh Rode and many others. Makkar, himself a hand-picked choice of Badal who came to the top seat through a Falstaff-turning- King move, clearly had no idea that under no Act, clause or law has the SGPC any authority to recognise or not recognise any other panthic body, but the arrogance which comes from being part of the Badal Darbar was writ large in his remarks. No preparations for the July 11 sammelan at Ratia in Haryana were discussed, and none were claimed to have been made. Meanwhile, developments on the Dera Saucha Sauda front continued at a hectic pace this past week, but clear signs are emerging that Gurmeet Ram Rahim is now upping the ante, looking for newer ways to build pressure, curry political favours and push the legal doors to finally have a chink through which he can escape the wrath of the Sikhs, the might of the law and the ends of justice. So, with Jathedars choosing to play on backfoot, the Dera sadh pressed for the frontfoot approach while the KAC had dug in its heels. The SGPC, led by Makkar, was largely donning the panthic spoiler's role.

So, just after the Akal Takht rejected the non-apology, termed it an unsigned 'press note', and the Khalsa Action Committee, by easing out DSGMC chief Paramjit Singh Sarna from the convenorship, sent clear signals that it will brook no lackadaisical approach but at the same time kept the united face by retaining him and prevailing  upon him to stay as part of the panel, the murder and molstationaccused Dera head knew the game on the religious turf was going out of his hand. Those he could manouver were losing the respect and authority among Sikh ranks. He dashed to the nearest source of succour, and got himself an anticipatory bail from the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday, just a day after the Parkash Singh badal regime belinked before the panthic lobby's pressure and nod was given for his arrest. With this started the Dera end of the game. A young follower of the dera set himself afire to protest the arrest warrants against Gurmeet Ram Rahim, and was rushed to Rohtak hospital with some 80 percent burns.

The dera also fielded its women shakti, and a panel of its women followers met Punjab Governor  SF Rodrigues, telling him that both Haryana and Punjab govts were informed of the contents of the 'apologies'. They wanted Rodrigues to direct  the state government to withdraw criminal case registered against Dera head, something for which independent gubernatorial  authority does not exist.

Across Punjab, the social fabric in rural countryside is still tense. In Samuka village of Sangrur, Sikhs denied the Guru Granth Sahib bir to dera follower Piara Singh whose mother had died. On June 8, posters against Gurmeet Ram  appeared in Bathinda's Bandi village under Sangat police station, leading to tension. In Ballianwari village, Sikh residents  forced a dera follower to remove the dera cry of 'Dhan Dhan Satguru..." from outside his house. In Kamalu Sawaich village, gurdwara commitee president  Leela Singh resisted attempts to hold a nam-charcha. Situation was fairly tense when wife of Shaheed Kamaljit Singh,  who was killed in firing from inside a dera in Sunam, was honoured. Earlier, before the dera head had gotten bail, a large number of his followers took  to the streets demanding the withdrawal of the case registered against him. Incidentally, he is the prime accused, it is a case of murder and the investigating agency is India's federal CBI, equivalent to the FBI in the US. One of the interesting accusations made by the dera's chief spokesperson was that the drafts of both the 'apologies' were approved by Punjab CM Badal. Haryana police, keen on keeping the Dera head mollified, was scouting around for vegetarian security guards for the Z-plus securitised murderaccused, and the Haryana Chief Secretary was in touch with his Punjab counterpart to take stock of the likely strength of July 11 Ratia conclave.