Radical outfits flay Badal govt over arrest of 'panth leaders'

Attacking the Badal-led government, radical Sikh outfits Dal Khalsa and SAD Panch Pardani today termed the arrest of 'religious' leaders and detention of 'preachers' as a "clear sign of state terrorism".
Leaders of the two outfits held a meeting here to discuss and take stock of the "volatile" situation which has emerged since the "pardoning" of Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for his alleged blasphemy in 2007, and a number of incidents of sacrilege.
Led by H S Dhami and Bhai Daljit Singh, the leaders of the two groups in the meeting said the state government led by the Badals had "trashed the rule of law in the state".

They compared the tone and tenor of Sukhbir Singh Badal with that of former Chief Minister late Beant Singh and ex-Governor SS Ray, saying the "policies and machinery to snub and crush the fundamental rights of Sikhs were still intact."
"Badals by using the police administration had attempted to silence the voices of reasoning. The huge public upsurge is the clear mandate of religious misconduct and ruining of religious institutions by Badals," Daljit Singh said.
On the congregation called by Sikh hardliners on November 10, Dhami said that notwithstanding their disagreements and reservations on the venue, procedures and nomenclature of 'Sarbat Khalsa', they stood by the democratic right of the organisers to convene such an event to discuss and debate the plight of the 'Panth'.

The Punjab police has reportedly taken into custody several leaders of Panthic organisations which had recently organised the controversial 'Sarbat Khalsa' near Amritsar.
The 'Sarbat Khalsa', a massive gathering of Sikhs, had "appointed" Jagtar Singh Hawara, the convict in Beant Singh assassination case, as jathedar of Akal Takht.
Apart from Akal Takht, which is the supreme temporal seat of the Sikhs, the congregation also "removed" jathedars of two other Takhts -- Takht Kesgarh Sahib and Takht Damdama Sahib.