Amid blame game, third party role not ruled out by Ludhiana police

LUDHIANA: While Thakur Dalip Singh and Namdhari sect head Uday Singh are blaming each other for the killing of Mata Chand Kaur, the police have not ruled out the involvement of a third party in executing the assassination of the Namdhari matriarch.

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 13

While Thakur Dalip Singh and Namdhari sect head Uday Singh are blaming each other for the killing of Mata Chand Kaur, the police have not ruled out the involvement of a third party in executing the assassination of the Namdhari matriarch.

After the ugly family feud over the succession, Chand Kaur had recently stated that she will consider pardoning Thakur Dalip Singh if he visits Bhaini Sahib and tender apology. This statement raised hopes of a possible reconciliation.

Sources in the Namdhari Darbar stated that Mata Chand Kaur was more close to Dalip Singh, during the early days, as he was elder son of the family.

Thakur Dalip Singh refused to recognise his younger brother Uday Singh to be the next Satguru, he told his followers to worship Mata Chand Kaur as Satguru.

There was a section of Namdharis who were upset over the increasing leaning of Thakur Dalip Singh towards Sikh tenets.

Thakur Dalip Singh had recently told his sangant to wear ‘kirpan’, the move which was opposed by Namdhari Darbar and termed as against Namdhari tenets.

Further, Namdharis who were stated to be staunch Congress supporters had shifted their loyalties in the last elections and favoured SAD.

Sources said as Thakur Uday Singh remains away from the dera for major part of the month any kind of patch- up would have come handy for Thakur Dalip Singh.

It is a general feeling among the followers that there are forces who do not want to see both the brothers together. Namdharis enjoy a clout of 6 lakh followers.

Although, Thakur Dalip Singh has shown interest in supporting SAD- BJP, Satguru Uday Singh has not opened his cards yet.

“Any patch-up could affect the political calculations in the wake of assembly election due for next year. Further any reconciliation would mean the persons who are second in line would have no say in the functioning of Darbar,” said Gursharan Singh (name changed) a follower, who was sitting in the park following the bhog ceremony.

On the other hand, the police are still groping in the dark and have been working on the theory of third- party angle. So far they have got a CCTV footage in which the assailants were shown escaping on a bike after the killing.

Jatinder Aulakh, CP, said any development in the murder case of Namdhari matriarch would be shared with the media.