JASWANT SINGH GANDAM / RAMAN NEHRA
India Post News Service
Alliance of Sikh Organisations (ASO), a conglomeration of 30 Sikh bodies, has demanded reopening of the May 2007 case in which Sirsa-based Dera head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh had blasphemed Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Sikh Guru, by donning Guru-like attire and masquerading the sacred Sikh ceremony of baptism (‘amrit-sanchar’).
It also demanded a time-bound high-level probe into the sacrilegious incident for unravelling the truth before the public as well as the sinister role of the Badals for getting the ‘Saadh’ go scot free, besides fixing responsibility of those police officers who had failed to do their duties in order to please their political masters (the Badals).
The Dera chief is in jail these days for rape and murder, it may be mentioned.
Alliance spokesman Sukhdev Singh Phagwara and Parampal Singh Sabhra, while addressing the media June 1, maintained that now it was high time for the Badals to clarify as to why they had manouvered the rescue of the ‘Saadh’.
They also demanded clarification from SGPC as to why it had not pursued the case to its logical conclusion.
“If poorly-resourced Sadhvis and family of slain journalist Ram Chander Chhatarpati could so boldly fight against the might of Dera chief and bring him behind bars, why the so powerful and fund-rich SGPC did not pursue the case against him when it also enjoyed groundswell of support from the enraged Sikh community,” they asked.
They accused SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal of hobnobbing with rapist and murderer Dera chief for political gains.
They also questioned the studied silence of SGPC chief over the matter till date.
It may be mentioned here that a case under Sections 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language etc and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) of Indian Penal Code(IPC) was registered against the Dera chief in May 2007 for mimicking as Guru Gobind Singh by donning attire like the Guru.
Even Akal Takht, the highest spiritual-cum-temporal Sikh seat, had issued ‘hukamnama’(edict) against the Dera chief.
Later, in a flip flop, it was withdrawn under pressure from the Badals but again upheld after a hue and cry of Panthic forces.
Now taking cognisance of the special investigation team(SIT) report on the inquiry of October 2015 Behbal Kalan firing and Bargadi sacrilege incidents, the ASO has urged the government to initiate a similar inquiry into the May 2007 blasphemous act by the Dera chief.
Said Sukhdev Singh Phagwara and Parampal Singh Sabhra: “Now that the SIT has made it clear in its reports that Sukhbir Singh Badal, for his political gains, had rescued Dera chief Ram Rahim, a probe should be conducted in the case for bringing the truth to limelight.”
They then proceeded to provide details of the entire case.
