Dera-Sikh Clash ----State police seals border with Haryana

Dera-Sikh Clash
State police seals border with Haryana
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Salabatpura/Bathinda, July 18
With the death of a person in the Dera-Sikh clash at Dabwali today, the heat of the controversy between the two could also be felt in Bathinda and Muktsar districts of Punjab, bordering Dabwali in Sirsa district of Haryana.
Responding to the incident, the Punjab Police sealed the borders with Haryana adjoining Muktsar and Bathinda districts. Dera Salabatpura, Punjab headquarters of the Dera Sacha Sauda, was cordoned off with heavy deployment of the police. The Dera-Sikh controversy had started from Dera Salabtpura last year.
Orbit and Dabwali Transport Company (DTC) buses, owned by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s family, were taken off the road. In Bathinda, a fleet of at least 20 Orbit buses was seen parked at the city bus stand.
All bus drivers and conductors were ordered to cancel routes and halt buses there. When asked, Orbit bus drivers and conductors said, “Anyone who has some grudge against the government, settle scores by targeting Orbit and DTC buses. It is just to prevent any unseemly incident that we have been asked to stay grounded and wait for further orders.”
Giving vent to their ire, Sikh protesters asked shops to down shutters. Before moving towards city markets, Sikh activists laced with weapons, held a meeting at Qila Mubarak, where they chalked out their strategy. But with the intervention of senior police officers, they agreed to take out the procession without weapons.
Leading the protesters, Baba Varinder Singh, city president, SAD (Panch Pardhani), said, “Today we have adopted a humble way to make shopkeepers close their shops. But if there is a need for us to take harsh steps, we will not go back.”
SP (H) Manminder Singh said, “We are fully prepared to keep the situation under control.”
Meanwhile, the Punjab Police sealed off Killianwali (Muktsar) and Doomwali (Bathinda) borders with Haryana to prevent any untoward incident. Because a curfew was imposed in Dabwali, the road link between Punjab and Haryana was affected as the national highway (NH-10) passes through the heart of Dabwali city.
Baljeet Singh Dadu Sahib Wale, a hardliner Sikh religious leader of Malwa, who was protesting today against the incident at Dabwali, while speaking over the phone, said, “The Dera chief should be immediately booked under Section 120-B, IPC, for his involvement in the murder. We would ask the SGPC and other leaders of the Sikh community to come forward and take a tough decision.”
Reports received said there was a meeting of Sikhs at Dabwali with the district peace committee of the Sirsa administration in which SGPC chief Avtar Singh, Jathedar, Takht Damdama Sahib, Balwant Singh Nandgarh and SAD (Panch Pardhanai) Daljit Singh Bittu were among those present.