Senior state BJP leaders visit Dera Sachkhand

Senior BJP leaders today visited Dera Sachkhand to express grief over the killing of Sant Rama Nand in Vienna recently.

The BJP leaders also met Sant Surinder Dass, who escaped the attack with injuries, and expressed their grief.

State BJp president Rajinder Bhandari said “we have come here to condole the death of Sant Rama Nand and condemn the attack on another Dera leader in Vienna”.

BJP leaders had a closed door meeting with the Dera trustees, in which the latter demanded the immediate release of those who were arrested for the violence ignited in parts of Punjab after the Vienna attack.

India in touch with Austrian authorities on Gurdwara clash:EAM

India is ”pro-actively” maintaining close contact with the Austrian Foreign Ofice, Vienna Police and other authorities on the developments related to the clash between two groups of Sikhs in a Gurdwara there last week.

External Affairs Minister SM Krishna told a delegation of political leaders from Punjab, including Parliamentarians, who called on him at the Foreign Ministry today, that the matter was under investigation by the Austrian authorities and results of their investigations were awaited.

The delegation apprised the Minister of the feelings of ”anguish and concern” of the people and Punjab at the attack in the Gurdwara that led to the death of Sikh preacher Sant Ramanand and injuries to another Sant Niranjan Das. The delegation presented a memorandum to the Minister. Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur was also present.

India awaiting outcome of Vienna violence probe

A week after clashes involving rival Sikh groups in a Vienna gurdwara, India Monday said it was awaiting the outcome of the probe by the Austrian authorities who had assured their “full cooperation and assistance to bring the guilty to justice.”

“The matter was under investigation by the Austrian authorities and results of their investigations were awaited,” External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna told a delegation of political leaders who were visiting him in connection with the violence in a Vienna gurdwara that left a Sikh leader dead.

Conveying their anguish at the clashes in Vienna, the delegation presented a memorandum to Krishna. Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur was also present at the meeting.

Underscoring his “deep concern and regret” at the incident, Krishna reiterated that there was no place for violence in a secular society like India.

Krishna assured that the Indian embassy was proactively maintaining close contact with the Austrian foreign office, the Viennese police and other concerned Austrian authorities, the external affairs ministry said in a statement here.

He also told them about the assurance given by Austrian foreign minister during their telephonic conversation May 25 that Austria will provide him full cooperation and assistance to bring the guilty to justice.

The minister informed the delegation that the condition of Dera Sachkhand chief Sant Niranjan Dass, who was injured in the clashes, was “stable and was improving.”

More than six people have been arrested for their suspected role in the clash in Vienna that led to the death of Sikh sect leader Sant Ramanand Dass and injured at least 15 people and sparked widespread violence in India’s Punjab state.

The body of the deceased Sikh leader is likely be flown to India next week.

Punjab to send plane to get sect leader’s body from Austria

In an unprecedented move, the Punjab government Sunday announced it would send a chartered flight from New Delhi Tuesday to bring back the body of Dera Sachh Khand sect leader Sant Rama Nand Dass from Austria’s capital Vienna.

The government has announced that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s Principal Secretary D.S. Guru would go in the chartered flight to get the body of the sect leader from Vienna.

The sect leader died of gunshot injuries following an attack on him and sect head Niranjan Dass at a gurdwara in Vienna last Sunday.

Sant Rama Nand Dass died while the sect head was recovering following the attack.

The sect head will also return by the same flight to India. The body and the sect head would be flown to the Dera headquarters at Ballan village near Jalandhar, 150 km from here, by a chartered helicopter.

The attack on the sect leaders led to widespread violence by sect followers in central Punjab May 24-25. Three people died, dozens were injured and public and private property worth millions was damaged during the violence.

“All arrangements for bringing the body to Delhi would be made by the Punjab government. The step was being taken as a mark of respect to the departed soul and in deference to the wishes and sentiments of peaceful and law abiding devotees of the holy man,” the chief minister’s media adviser Harcharan Bains said here Sunday.

Members of the sect are followers of Guru Ravi Dass and mostly Dalit Sikhs from Punjab.

But the move by the government, apparently to appease the sect, has been opposed by Sikh religion hardliners, including members of the ruling Akali Dal and All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF).

At a gathering at a gurdwara in Jalandhar city Sunday, leaders from these organisations objected to the announcement of compensation for families of the Dalit protesters who were killed during last week’s riots.

Badal had announced a compensation of Rs.500,000 to the family of each of the three protesters killed.

The gathering observed that giving compensation to the protesters amounted to “rewarding the rioters”. They demanded that protesters, who held the state to ransom for nearly 40 hours, should be slapped with criminal cases.

The meeting, held at Jalandhar’s Paragpur gurdwara, was attended by leaders of 70 villages of Jalandhar and Kapurthala districts.

Murdered sect leader’s remains to be brought on June 4

The remains of Dera Sachkhand leader Sant Ramanand, who was killed in a Vienna temple clash, will be brought to Ballan village on June 4, the Punjab government announced here on Sunday. The murder in faraway Austria had sparked off widespread violence in Punjab and Haryana.

The Ballan dera head Sant Niranjan Dass, who sustained grievous injuries in the temple clash last Sunday, will accompany the body along with chief minister Parkash Singh Badal’s principal secretary Darbara Singh Guru.

The Punjab government has decided to send a specially chartered plane from New Delhi to Vienna on June 2 to bring back the body and arranged for a helicopter to airlift it to Ballan – the sect headquarters.

The step was being taken in deference to the wishes and sentiments of the sect leader’s devotees, chief minister Parkash Singh said, and added that the government was keen that the last rites of the slain sect leader be performed with total solemnity and religious devotion. “The government is aware of anti-social elements trying to create social tensions by floating rumours and whipping up communal passions,” he said.

Meanwhile, sources in dera refused to give details of cremation, saying it would be clear only by Monday.

Punjab fears another bout of violence on cremation day of Sant Rama Nand

Having already faced a fragile law and order situation in Punjab, the Punjab Police and the civil administration were leaving nothing to chance and were treading extremely cautiously while, gearing up for the cremation of Sant Rama Nand of Dera Sach Khand on Thursday, May 4.

A huge crowd of over 1.5 lakh to two lakh people was expected to descend at the Ballan village baed dera to pay their tributes to the deceased spiritual leader.

The Punjab government has already set-up a helipad on the dera outskirts so as to facilitate direct shifting of the body of Sant Rama Nand from New Delhi to the dera for cremation in its bid to avoid any further eruption of tension in the area. “We have got fully geared ourselves up for any situation though, we are treading with all possible precautions and restraints. The routes for the movement of crowd of dera followers have been earmarked so as to ward-off any last minute fuss,” said the Jalandhar Zone IG Sanjiv Kalra who, was the member of the two member probe panel, constituted by the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to investigate the incidents of violence in Doaba and other areas of Punjab in the aftermath of the death of Sant Rama Nand in Vienna. The other member of the panel was the Jalandhar Division Commissioner S.R. Ladhar. Kalra himself was injured in the attack mounted by violent mobs and was recuperating at his place.

The dead body of Sant Rama Nand was likely to be flown in by Sant Niranjan Dass, who, had sustained injuries in the Vienna attack on either Wednesday or Friday even as, the authorities were apprehending some slight further delay in arrival of the body at New Delhi. In his report to the Punjab government, a senior officer has estimated that between 1.5 lakh to two lakh dera followers were likely to converge at the dera on the cremation day while, certain quarters have apprehended that trouble could brew up once again in case, the police and civil administration, who, were apparently prepared to tackle any situation, displayed any laxity as was allegedly in case of incidents of violence erupted in Doaba region and rest of Punjab on May 23. They were however, expecting that violence might not simmer once again as the tempers of dera followers have already got cooled down particularly, after senior dera leader Sant Surinder Bawa and Sant Niranjan Dass have already issued repeated appeals for maintenance of peace and communal harmony in Punjab.

Situation continues to remain normal in Punjab

Situation in violence-hit areas of Punjab continued to remain normal on Monday, even as night curfew remained enforced in the region which witnessed violence following the killing of a sect leader in Vienna.

The situation was peaceful in Jalandhar, Phagwara, Malout, Hoshiarpur and Ludhiana. However, as a precautionary measure night curfew in these areas is continuing, officials said.

Relaxation in day curfew, which has been imposed since Monday last, continued as life returned to normalcy with rail and road traffic restored in the region.

All trains and long route buses are plying as per schedule in the region and all commercial establishments working normally, officials said.

Meanwhile, the Punjab Government has decided to send a special chartered plane from New Delhi to Vienna to bring back the body of Sant Rama Nand, the Dera Sachkhand leader whose killing triggered large scale violence in the state, on Tuesday.

Sant Baba Niranjan Dass Maharaj, who was seriously injured in the May 24 shooting in the Austrian capital, will also return by the same flight.

Dass and a senior Punjab Government official would then fly along with the body from New Delhi to Dera Sach Khand Ballan in Jalandhar district.

Punjab and parts of Haryana witnessed widespread violence after Dera Sachkhand preacher Sant Ramanand was killed and Dera head Sant Niranjan Dass was injured in Vienna last Sunday.

Punjab to pay millions for riot damages

A week after rioters brought the state to a standstill and caused extensive damage to public and private properties, the Punjab government Sunday announced that it will pay compensation to all those who suffered losses.
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said the government would pay compensation for the damages to private properties during the recent rioting following the killing of a Dera Sachh Khand leader in a gurdwara clash in Austrian capital Vienna.

“The extent of loss or damage caused to private property including vehicles and commercial or business establishments is being assessed. A comprehensive survey has been ordered to identify the victims and to determine the magnitude of the loss suffered in each case. The deputy commissioners of districts have been asked to prepare reports based on data gathered through official and independent sources,” a statement issued by Badal said.

The compensation would runs into millions of rupees, state officials said here.

Hundreds of protestors resorted to violence May 24-25 in areas of central Punjab comprising Jalandhar, Phagwara, Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana, Patiala and a few other towns.

The rioting took place as followers of the Dera Sachh Khand, which has majority Dalit Sikh followers of Guru Ravidass, went on the rampage after sect head, Sant Niranjan Dass was injured in the attack and his deputy Sant Rama Nand Dass died in the attack.

“There can be no compromise on the issue of peace, public order and communal harmony in the state. No one would be allowed to hold the state to ransom. Anyone trying to do so would be dealt with a firm hand under the provisions of the law,” Badal said.

Nearly 150 private vehicles, including expensive luxury cars, were set on fire by the protestors even as the Punjab Police and district administration failed to control the mobs. Most of the damage to vehicles was in Jalandhar, Phagwara and Hoshiarpur.

The rioters had a virtual free-run for nearly 40 hours as they blocked highways and other roads, set government and private vehicles on fire and stopped trains. Coaches of two trains were set on fire in and around Jalandhar city, 150 km from here.

While Badal said that the government would bear full expenses for the treatment of those who suffered injuries during the trouble, he added that it was also considering ways and means to provide adequate relief to the victims for any other damage or loss suffered.

He said that the government had already decided to provide adequate relief to officials who were at the receiving end of the acts of lawlessness. This would include police officials who were injured.

Reacting to criticism that the state government was slow to react, Badal said that mobilizing the police, paramilitary forces and the army took 8-12 hours and a few more hours to deploy them.

“The government is quite clear that any lawless and anti-social element has to be dealt with most emphatic and firm manner but at the same time it does not overlook the thin line that divides firmness from recklessness. The situation was handled with a judicious mix of tact, restraint and firmness,” Badal said.

Night curfew in Punjab towns to continue

He night curfew in Punjab cities including Phagwara, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur and Malout would continue till further orders.

Deputy Commissioner Kapurthala Raj Kamal Chaudhary said Monday that it was decided to continue the night curfew from 10 PM to 5 AM. He said that life was normal during relaxation in curfew during day time.

Deputy Commissioner held a meeting of officers in SDM office here Monday to review the situation. DC alongwith Phagwara SDM Amarjit Paul and DSP Harkamalpreet Singh Khakh discussed in details and constituted two different committees for urban and rural localities of Phagwara Sub Division to assess the damages to public property, including vehicles during recent disturbances.

SDM said that Four members including Executive Officer Nagar Council,Muncipal Engineer, SDO (PWD) and Industry Inspector have been included in the Assessment Committee meant for Urban Area, while four members including Block Development Officer Phagwara, SDO Panchayati Raj, Assistant Food and Supply Officer Phagwara and Excise and Taxation Officer have been included in the assessment committee meant for Rural Area of Phagwara Sub Division.

SDM Paul disclosed that both committees will submit their detailed reports by Tuesday. It was learnt that dozens of vehicles including buses,trucks,bikes and scooters were set on fire by the irate mob during noisy and panicky violence in Phagwara Sub Division.

DSP Harkamalpreet Singh Khakh said that round the clock patrolling was continued by security forces including Army,BSF and Punjab Police.Six Executive Magistrates have also been deputed to monitor the situation.

‘India awaiting outcome of probe by Austria on Sikh violence’

A week after violence in a Vienna gurudwara left a Sikh sect leader dead, India today said it was awaiting the outcome of the investigations by the Austrian authorities who have promised full cooperation in bringing the guilty to justice.

This was stated by External Affairs Minister S M Krishna when a delegation of political leaders, including MPs, from Punjab called on him to convey the “anguish and concern” of people of Punjab.

He told the delegation that his Ministry has been in regular contact with the Indian Embassy in Vienna over the incident and that developments were being “closely monitored”.

The clash in the gurudwara in Vienna on May 24 led to death of Sikh sect leader Sant Rama Nand and injuries to Sant Niranjan Dass. The incident led to widespread violent protests in Punjab and Haryana.

The Minister informed the delegation that the condition of Dera Sachkhand chief Dass was “stable and he was improving.

“The embassy is pro-actively maintaining close contact with the Austrian Foreign Office, the Vienna police and other concerned Austrian authorities,” Krishna said, adding the matter was under investigation and the outcome was awaited.

Minister of State in External Affairs Preneet Kaur was present during the meeting.