SGPC demands arrest of Dera Sacha Sauda chief

Amritsar July 18 (ANI): Condemning the killing of a Sikh in a clash between followers of the Dera Sacha Sauda Sect and a group of Sikhs in Haryana's Dabwali town today, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee (SGPC) demanded the immediate arrest of Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the chief of the sect.

According to available reports, Mandar Singh was killed on Friday during a clash between Dera followers and a group of Sikhs. Witnesses said that he received a head injury.

SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar condemned the killing of Mandar Singh, and urged the Centre to intervene in the matter. He also asked the Haryana Government to arrest the Dera chief without further delay and blamed him for the killing of a Sikh youth in Mumbai last month.

SGPC member Jaswinder Singh Advocate alleged that any delay in the arrest of the Dera Chief would put another question mark on whether the Centre is serious about taking action in the cases filed against the Dera chief, including ones involving murder, rape and extortion.

Gurpartap Singh Tikka, a senior Shiromani Akali Dal youth leader also condemned the killing. He said the killing of a third Sikh youth by Dera followers in a span of one year indicated the aggressiveness of the Dera Sacha Saudha followers.

Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has been involved in a controversy with the Sikh community since last year after he dressed himself up as Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru. That step resulted in widespread violence in various states. Last month, one of his bodyguards shot and killed a Sikh youth in Mumbai. By Ravinder Singh Robin (ANI)