Villagers attack dera inmates
Police inaction alleged
From A.S. Prashar
Tribune News Service

DHAKKI SAHIB (Maqsoodran), Dec 2 — A large group of armed villagers this morning attacked the dera of the jailed Baba Darshan Singh of Dhakki Sahib and set several structures on fire in a bid to chase away the Baba’s followers and occupy the dera.
At least three persons, all of them inmates of the dera, were injured. One of them was hospitalised with a broken arm. The inmates of the dera alleged that the dera cattle had been “stolen” by the attackers.

The police has registered a case under sections 307/436/447/427/506/295A/148/149, IPC, and 25/27 and 54/59 of the Arms Act and has begun investigations. Five police guards posted outside the dera have been placed under suspension for failing to prevent the attack. Twentythree persons have been arrested.

Tension had been simmering between the villagers and inmates of the dera for a long time now. The villagers allege that the Baba and his followers have occupied a vast stretch of the jungle on the outskirts of the village and established a dera through deceit and fraud. They want the Baba and his followers to shift elsewhere. The followers of the Baba, on the other hand, claim that the Baba set up the dera here on an invitation and they have no intention of vacating it.

A similar clash between the villagers and the followers of the Baba a few months ago led to the arrest of Baba Darshan Singh and several of his followers who are still behind the bars.
Today’s attack by the villagers was well-planned. According to Gurdeep Singh, an inmate of the dera, they received information early this morning that the villagers were gathering at a place in the village to plan an attack on the dera. Many of them were armed with kirpans and other sharp-edged weapons. A couple of them had firearms. He complained that although the inmates of the dera informed the SHO of the Payal police station about the impending attack, the police took no preventive action.
Even when the attack was in progress, pleas to the police for help did not evoke any response. The police finally arrived at the dera an hour after the attack when the villagers had set several structures on fire, injured many inmates and chased away several heads of cattle.
Among the items destroyed in the fire were 500 gutkas, a large stock of audio-cassettes of gurbani and several items used in “amrit parchar”, including kirpans, gatras, kangas and karas Several fire tenders were pressed into service to bring the fire under control.

Mr R.L. Bhagat, SSP, Khanna police district, along with SDM, Payal, Mr Amarjit Pala, visited the site along with a large police force and brought the situation under control.

The dera inmates alleged that the attackers, numbering about 150, included students of a college at Doraha and Mrs Amar Kaur, sarpanch of Maqsoodran village, who herself went about attacking the inmates of the dera with a kirpan in her hand. She is the sister of the Akali MLA from Qila Raipur, Mr Jagdish Singh Garcha.

The attack has been condemned by the SHSAD chief, Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, who said it was strange that the incident should have taken place and a large number of religious scriptures destroyed under the regime of a person who claimed to be following in the foot-steps of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. He alleged the attacks had been carried out at the behest of two MLAs of the area who belonged to the ruling Akali Dal and with the connivance of the authorities.

Mr Arun Goel, Deputy Commissioner, Ludhiana, has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident.

Badal flays attack on dera
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Dec 2 — Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has condemned the attack on a dera at Dhakki Sahib in Ludhiana district by a group of miscreants today.

In a statement issued here, he said such acts of hooliganism were against the ethos of our heritage.

The Chief Minister directed the DIG, Ludhiana range, and the SSP, Khanna, to identify the culprits involved in the incident and take stringent action against them. He also appealed people to maintain calm and not to be misled by propaganda.