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| Punjab on the edge, CM calls meet |
| Punjab is on high alert as angry Sikhs and followers of the Dera Sacha Sauda stick to their guns
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| INDIA
, 18-May-2007
10:15:41 AM |
| Punjab is on high alert as angry Sikhs and followers of the Dera Sacha Sauda stick to their guns.
There is tension in several towns in Punjab after protests and clashes on Thursday over a newspaper picture showing the Dera Sacha Sauda leader dressed like the tenth Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh.
Tight security has been imposed across Punjab and in Sirsa in Haryana, which is the Dera Sauda base where thousands of Dera followers have gathered.
Anticipating trouble, the police have banned large gatherings in several towns in Punjab.
The Prime Minister Office and the Home Ministry are in constant touch.
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has called an all party meeting to discuss the present crisis. But there are no signs of a truce yet with the Akal Takht insisting on an apology and the Dera Sacha Sauda declaring they have nothing to apologise for.
The Dera has however softened its stance somewhat and withdrawn the demand for President's Rule in Punjab. It has also vowed to stay away from violent protests.
Sikh protesters in Ludhiana have forced shopkeepers and business establishments to shut down.
The Haryana police meanwhile have sealed the state's border at Dabwali to prevent Dera supporters from going over to Punjab.
But many Dera supporters demonstrated at Sirsa, shouting slogans against the Punjab government.
Calls for boycott
A major clash was averted late on Thursday night after thousands of people marching to the Dera ashram in Salabatpur near Bathinda were stopped and dispersed by the police.
The latest flashpoint in Punjab came after the SGPC, the apex body which controls all Sikh gurudwaras, called for a boycott of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect.
The leader of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect stirred a hornet's nest after he appeared in a newspaper ad a few days ago. Many Sikhs feel that he insulted their religious sentiments by dressing up as Guru Gobind Singh.
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