Beas dera followers protest bid to demarcate prohibited area
AMRITSAR : Followers of Dera Radha Soami Satsang and local residents in Beas on Saturday protested against the district administration’s attempt to demarcate the prohibited area, including a boundary wall of the sect, falling under 1,000 metres from the ammunition depot of the army.
Considering a civil writ petition, the Punjab and Haryana high court had recently ordered the deputy commissioner to demolish the wall, which is around one-and-a-half kilometres long, and other buildings, falling within 1,000 metres from the depot. Led by deputy commissioner Harpreet Singh Sudan, the teams comprising officials from revenue department and other concerned departments, reached the town to demarcate the area amid heavy deployment of police force. However, the sect followers and local residents in large numbers, whose houses and other buildings fall in the prohibited area, gathered and staged a dharna outside the gate of the depot, led by senior officials of the dera. They shouted slogans against the army, Punjab government and the district administration. With the situation getting tense, the administration had to put the demarcation on hold. Meanwhile, the officials went through the related revenue record in the office of Tehsil Baba Bakala. “The honourable HC directed me to demarcate the prohibited area falling around the depot keeping in view of safety of the people, but the demarcation could not be carried out due to some flaws found in the revenue record. A written report in this regard will also be submitted to the HC and adequate compensation to the affected people will be recommended,” the DC said.