Review religious heads’ security: HC

Chandigarh, January 22

The Punjab and Haryana High Court today made it clear that the state government was required to review the security arrangements of religious leaders and other related persons. The Bench of Justice Jitendra Chauhan made this clear while dismissing as infructuous a petition regarding security arrangements of Sikh preacher Ranjit Singh Dhadrianwale.

As the case came up for hearing, the Bench was informed by the state counsel that proper and adequate security had been provided to Dhadrianwale. The Bench was also told that several religious saints and heads were enjoying extraordinary security without threat perception.

The petition in the matter was filed against the state government and other respondents by Dhadrianwale’s Parmeshwar Dwar Charitable Trust through counsel GPS Ghuman,

The Bench in a related matter was earlier told that Dhadrianwale time and again held peaceful agitations, requesting the state to transfer the case to the CBI, but in vain. As such, the present petition seeking transfer of investigation to the CBI was being filed.

Going into the background, the counsel added Dhadrianwale since a “very young age” followed the path of Sikhi and was having a deep understanding of the holy Scriptures. Unlike other educators, he has tirelessly been carrying out preaching “with a message to stop both young and older Sikhs from falling prey to the menace of drugs, alcohol and tobacco abuse, which were out of control in the state”. Due to his “good deeds”, many started keeping “an evil eye” on him. — TNS