Bargari sacrilege: Shifting of trial against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim a blot on govt, says SGPC

Amritsar, March 1

The shifting of the trial by the Supreme Court in three cases against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim and seven others in connection with the 2015 Bargari sacrilege from Faridkot to Chandigarh has not gone down well with the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).

After the murder of Dera Sacha Sauda follower Pardeep Singh Kataria, alias Raju Dodhi in November last year, other dera followers accused of sacrilege, had moved the apex court seeking the shifting of the trial of three interlinked sacrilege cases outside Punjab citing a “security threat”.

Terming it a blot on the Punjab Government, SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami said this had exposed the incompetence and non-seriousness of the successive state governments.

Dhami said the challan was presented in the court after a period of eight years.

“In such a situation, shifting of the trial in the sacrilege cases out of Punjab has raised a question mark on the credibility of the state government. We strongly condemn the shifting of the trial. The incumbent government failed to pursue these cases. Earlier, the Congress-led state government did politics on this sensitive issue,” the SGPC chief said.

Dhami resented that the state governments had been kind to Dera Sacha Sauda head and special treatment was being meted out to him by giving repeated paroles on regular intervals.

AAP, Cong blamed

The shifting of trial in sacrilege cases out of Faridkot to Chandigarh has raised a question mark on the credibility of the government. The government failed to pursue the cases. Earlier, the Congress-led government did politics on this sensitive issue. — Harjinder Singh Dhami, SGPC chief