Religious tension in Punjab (again)

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The Indian government is sending security reinforcements to the states of Punjab and Haryana amid signs of growing religious violence.

Thousands of Sikhs, many armed, have been staging protests, some violent, against a Hindu sect.

They accuse the Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) sect of insulting Sikhism.

Tensions began when the DSS leader appeared in an advert in which Sikhs said he was made to look like the last Sikh Guru, Gobind Singh.

Tens of thousands of Sikhs and DSS supporters have been gathering in various places in Punjab and Haryana.

Some Sikhs have been armed with swords and bricks. They are reported to be surrounding a DSS campus near Salabetpura in the Punjab.

Tens of thousands of DSS supporters have gathered in Sirsa in Haryana, where the sect has its headquarters, to ward off any attack by Sikhs.

The central government has sent two battalions of the Rapid Action Force, a paramilitary force comprising commandoes, to Sirsa.

Indian Interior Minister Shivraj Patil presided over a security meeting in Delhi on Thursday evening.

The Punjab and Haryana governments have been asked by the federal government to ensure that law and order is maintained.

Punjab's Chief Minister, Parkash Singh Badal, has asked the federal government to despatch 50 companies of paramilitary forces to ensure peace.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6667219.stm

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Update from the Times of India:

CHANDIGARH/TALWANDI SABO: Faith divided Punjab in a way not seen in the last two decades as the battle between Dera Sacha Sauda, a sect with a large following in Punjab and Haryana, and various Sikh groups claimed its first life on Thursday.

In a late-night development, the Centre decided to rush 125 companies of RAF, BSF and CRPF to different cities in Punjab and Haryana in a bid to contain the violence.

Forces also remained deployed in parts of west Delhi where the authorities feared trouble. As Punjab's administrative machinery, clearly at sea, failed to control frenzied mobs baying for each other's blood, calls went out for imposition of President’s rule to prevent the state from descending into chaos.

The entire state went into spasms of violence and fear as clashes on the fourth day killed Kamaljit Singh, a Sangrur resident, in Sunam.

At least 15 others received serious gunshot wounds, with eight believed to be critical, after Dera supporters in Salawatpur, surrounded by a mob, opened fire. A police contingent which was there failed to stop the rampaging groups, too scared and too unprepared to retaliate.

When reports last came in, about 20,000 Sikh youths were on their way to attack and empty out another Dera shelter in Sangrur with at least 5,000 followers of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, leader the Sacha Sauda cult, inside the colony.

Hemmed in from all sides and exposed to death and injury, they now only have the police to defend them. A TOI correspondent in Sangrur said the cops were trying their best to push the attackers back. "But it's all very dangerous," he said.

What is of most serious concern to Punjab's new Akali Dal-led government is the decision taken by Sikh clergy at the Sarbat Khalsa in Damdama Sahib, Talwandi Sabo, to suspend all social relations with Dera followers. They have also demanded a total ban on activities of the cult.

It didn't help matters that leaders of the Dera refused to back down and said no apology was coming for their leader dressing up as Guru Gobind Singh, 10th guru of the Sikhs.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Central...how/2058442.cms

[pbgirl 1]

Just sad and frustrating. Was just watching the news and it showed the riots. Sigh.