Violent acts by Dera chief's bodyguard evokes protests from Sikhs

New Delhi, Jun 21 (UNI) Sikhs from across the country, today protested the violent action by the bodyguards of Dera Sachcha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim in Mumbai yesterday, which left one person dead and two injured.

In a press conference in the Capital, president of the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee Paramjit Sarna demanded the arrest of the Dera chief.

Mr Sarna regretted that the Haryana and Central governments were not far-sighted enough to see the far reaching consequences of letting Baba Ram Rahim singh go off the hook in 2007 when he allegedly dressed up as Guru Gobind Singh.

''A five-member Sikh delegation will call on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday to take strong action against the Dera chief,''he said adding it would soon be visiting Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and state Home Minister R R Patil over the issue.

Alleging that a failure to arrest the Dera chief would alienate the Sikh community, Mr Sarna said alienation could resurrect Sikh terrorism if the Dera Sachcha Sauda was allowed to continue anti-Sikh activities with impunity.

In a statement, former chairman of the National Commission for Minorities Tarlochan Singh said,''I had earlier written to Home Minister Shivraj Patil and Haryana chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda that he (the Dera Chief) be not allowed to travel outside Haryana.'' He regretted that no pre emptive steps had been taken by the state government due to ''vote bank'' politics.

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