All work to lower Punjab temperature, Dera chief blinks

It was an ad on Sunday which showed the Dera Chief stirring 8216;amrit 8216; that fuelled allegations of blasphemy and provoked a tense stand-off between the Sikh high priests and the Dera.

The reconciliatory tone was struck earlier when Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who addressed a slew of meetings, said: 8220;No one will be allowed to take the law into their hands, we will not let anyone disturb communal harmony in the state.8221;

At the all-party meeting, both the Akali Dal and the Congress passed a resolution calling for peace and harmony in Punjab. Interestingly, the resolution to which the Congress too was a party, also condemned the 8220;provocative ad8221; which triggered the crisis. The Congress had got the Dera to openly come out in its support during the last Assembly elections.

Bathinda, which has been the epicentre of the tension, woke up to peace and quiet today as violence shifted to Sunam which saw Sikh protesters vandalising shops and homes of Dera supporters. High tension also marked the funeral of Kamaljit Singh, 29, who fell to bullets last night.

His cremation was attended by a host of Sikh hardline leaders, including Damdami Taksal chief Harnam Singh Dhuma, and Jasbir Singh Rode, brother of late Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who called his death a sacrifice for the Sikh panth and sought the arrest of the Dera chief. Although the speeches were fiery and the crowd continued to swell, there was no repeat of yesterday8217;s mob fury.

Police and security forces were on their toes as Chief Secretary Ramesh Inder Singh ordered the imposition of Section 144 and a ban on carrying firearms.

As violence receded, politics came to the forefront with both the Akali Dal and the Congress holding separate meetings before sitting down together in the evening along with BJP, CPI, CPM and BSP among others.

Congress Legislature Party leader Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, who had until now been blaming the ruling party for the controversy, toned down her rhetoric, saying that her party would extend all possible support to the government for the restoration of peace in the state. Interestingly, for the first time since the clashes began, some BJP leaders today criticised the Akalis for not rising to the occasion.

Chief Minister Badal, while declaring that his government would do everything possible to maintain law and order, however, added that the situation could have got a lot worse had the Sikh activists not shown restraint.

Even Damdami Taksal, the Sikh seminary whose followers had virtually forced the Sikh high priests to sharpen their edict, today called upon the Sikhs to exercise restraint.

8220;People have exercised restraint despite grave provocation. Barring a few unpleasant incidents at some places, the rest of the state has remained peaceful and free of communal tension,8221; said Badal.

Calling the Dera ad a very grave provocation, he said Baba Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh should not have committed this blasphemy. 8220;The Sikh masses all over the world are justifiably hurt and angered by this deplorable act 8230;The provocative acts in Sirsa are aimed at destabilising Punjab. 8220;

When asked if the government will book the Dera chief, Badal said he would decide on this only after the investigating officer completes his probe.