After radical surge, Mansa village finds itself in the eye of the storm

After radical surge, Mansa village finds itself in the eye of the storm
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Kotdharmu, September 2

Kotdharmu—a village in Mansa district— known for its religious importance due to the existence of the historic Gurudwara Sulisar Sahib, is now in the news as the purported base of radicals and separatists, who nurse deep grudges against the controversial Dera Sach Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.
At first, the village drew media attention, when a youth of this village, Swaran Singh, was accused of making an attempt to kill the Dera chief at Nilokheri near Karnal in Haryana in February 2008.
Then, some radical organisations launched days-long massive dharna against the construction work of a dera of the Sacha Sauda sect at Nangla Khurd near Kotdharmu in September last year. At that time, a lot of anti-Dera literature was distributed there to incite religious sentiments.
Further, three youths of Kotdharmu, Amrit Pal Singh, Binder Singh and Raj Singh, were arrested for shooting dead a Dera follower Lily Kumar. Police recovered various weapons from their possession.
Later, police unearthed a cavity in a gym, belonging to Amrit Pal Singh, which was located on the outskirt of the village. Police sources also informed about the recovery of explosives from the cavity. However, senior police officials denied it.
During the investigation, the arrested youth were found accused of a foiled bid to kill deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal. Their role in the murder of RSS leader Rulda Singh is also being investigated.
In a recent firing incident at Ludhiana railway station, the arrest of the accused Balbir Singh Bhootna has again turned the eye of state police towards this village. Bhootna was also an accused in the killing of the Dera follower Lily Kumar. Police rounded up two residents of the village, Variam Singh and Gurlal Singh Lali. After interrogating them for more than 24-hours by the CIA Mansa, they were released on Sunday.
All such developments have paralysed the normal life in the village. Interacting with a number of residents of the village, TNS observed they were living under the shadow of terror. Most of them fear being rounded up by the police anytime. Fearing reprisal, many of them were quite hesitant in sharing information with this correspondent.
“Staff of intelligence wings of the state police, wearing civil dress, keep a 24-hour vigil in the village. Whenever police pick up villagers for interrogation, it remains a secret operation,” said some villagers.
Expressing regret, some of them termed poverty, backwardness and the innocence of youths as the reason why they get allured by the radicals and separatists. “Being deeply attached to Sikhism, youths of this village easily fall easy prey to the hardliners who themselves remain behind the curtains and send our boys to the front for unlawful activities,” said an old woman.
An elderly person from the village, termed the days-long dharna in September 2008, which was against the expansion of the building of the Dera Sacha Sauda as the period when the hardliners gave the youth a boost to take on the Dera chief and his followers.
Seeking anonymity, people informed that Balbir Singh Bhootna, who is involved in various crimes, had developed deep ties with some youths of the village during that period. Offering money and weapon, he had brain washed village youths and asked them to follow him.