COURT TO HEAR DEVOTEE’S PLEA FOR DISCHARGE ON OCTOBER 7

BATHINDA: A local court will on October 7 hear a plea to discharge Dera Sacha Sauda followers in an attempt to murder case registered in 2007.

The case pertains to violence in Bathinda after the drea chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh allegedly imitated the 10th Sikh master, Guru Gobind Singhat the sect’s Punjab in Salabatpura in May 2007. This led to clashes between the Sikhs and dera followers.

Fixing the next date of hearing, the court of chief judicial magistrate Vikrant Kumar on Tuesday summoned then station house officer of the Kotwali police station Harvinder Singh Virk, now posted as superintendent of police (SP investigation), Patiala, on whose complaint the case was registered, for recording his statement. The civil lines police on July 15 had moved an application in the court declaring as untraceable the accused booked in the case.

The attempt to murder case was registered against 141 unidentified dera followers after clashes with Sikhs and arson in general.

The case against Gurmeet Ram Rahim has since been closed after police filed a cancellation report.

Later, in 2015, the Sikh celrgy even issued a pardon to the dera head, purportedly at the behest of the SAD-BJP regime that wasnted to return to power in the 2017 elections. However, that pardon was retracted under pressure within days.

AS MANY AS 141 DERA FOLLOWERS WERE BOOKED AFTER CLASHES BETWEEN THEM AND SIKHS AFTER RAM RAHIM ‘IMITATED’ GURU GOBIND SINGH