Country Advice India – IND36088 – Sacha Sauda – Gurmeet Ram Raheem Singh – – Shiromani Akali Dal – Sikh–DSS clashes – Amritsar – Police – State protection 15 February 2010

1 [Deleted.]

2 Please provide information about Khalsa College. Is it known for political activity? Are the Shiromani Akali Dal active at the College?

Khalsa College is a tertiary education institution based in Amritsar, offering a range of bachelor degree and masters programs. The campus also houses a number of primary and secondary schools. The following information was sourced from the College‟s website:

About College: Khalsa College, the premier-most institute of higher learning, was established by the leaders of the Singh Sabha Movement in 1892. They were inspired by the lofty ideals of the great Gurus. They planned it to be a growing institution which would strive forever to achieve high degree of excellence of mind and body for the welfare of the youth. The architectural grandeur of its buildings and layout of its campus clearly demonstrate the “will” of the founders. Mission: Established with a specific purpose to rejuvenate Sikh Culture and Language and open up new vistas of scientific and technological education, Khalsa College has justified the faith and trust of its founding fathers by synchronizing tradition with modernity. The mission of the institute is :  To provide opportunities for educational, vocational, professional, social, linguistic and cultural development to the people of all abilities and backgrounds so that they can discover their potential and fulfill their aspirations.  To promote morality and sobriety of life, to promulgate and to preach teachings of Ten Gurus as contained in Sri Guru Granth Sahib; to imbibe students of the Sikh faith with idealism and moral disciplines taught by the Gurus and fit them for a way of life that will bring credit to the community and the country; to develop the faculty of meditation and of religious education and to produce worthy citizens of India.  To develop multidimensional personality of the student by providing an opportunity to participate in religious, cultural, co curricular, theatrical, literary and sports activities.  To value originality and vision, encourage initiative and promote creativity.

1  To instil a sense of pride and achievement of personal accomplishment.  To promote creativity and value originality.1 It is unclear if Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is active at the College; no information was found on student political activity at the College. However, student political agitation is common across India and it would not be abnormal for political parties to have student representation at tertiary institutions. The ruling SAD-Badal faction also has a student wing known as the Student‟s Organisation of India, which is active in Punjab.2

3 Please provide information about Dera Sachha Sauda.

The Dera Sachha Sauda (DSS) sect was borne from Sikhism. Although Sikhism rejects the caste system in principle, over time Sikhism developed its own caste system, leading many of its original followers to form off-shoot sects that attempted to reinvigorate the fundamental tenets of the religion. Put by Alig and Anwar: Sikhism‟s promise to give equal rights to all, without discrimination of caste or creed, led many , particularly , to join the new faith as a way to better their lives. But shaking off caste discrimination proved not so easy, and as the years passed, Sikhism too reverted to caste hierarchies. As realisation of this dawned on followers, the need was increasingly felt to initiate reform within Sikhism. The emergence of various reform movements began, with each group choosing to base itself in a different centre or camp, known as a dera. 3 The DSS sect finds it origins in this history. Founded in 1948, the DSS defines itself as a spiritual movement with a strong social-work focus. DSS does not purport to represent Sikhism; however, the sect‟s reverence of a leader hailed as a guru has brought it into conflict with orthodox Sikhs. DSS is popular among the lower impoverished caste who, in Punjab, predominantly reside in the Mulwa belt – an important political constituency for SAD-Badal. Estimates of DSS membership numbers vary. Various articles quote the DSS claiming to have up to 30 million followers; however, The Economist’s estimate of 400 000 members is probably more realistic.4 The principal difference between DSS and Sikhism is DSS‟ reverence of a living master – Guru Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh. Put by Baixas and Simon – two authors for the Multidisciplinary Journal – „this living master is an aberration in itself to the Sikh orthodoxy since in Sikhism the Guru Granth Sahib is the only holder of the diving knowledge‟. Importantly, it was an event in May 2007 that led Sikhs to clash with DSS. Baixas and Simon provide a comprehensive and critical account of the conflict‟s origins: On 11th May 2007, the , a sect whose headquarters are located in district, Haryana, performed a ceremony called Jaam-e-Insa. This ceremony was held at its main branch in Punjab situated at Salabatpura village in Bathinda district, the heartland of the Malwa region. Two days later, on 13th May, several major English and

1 Khalsa College 2009, College Profile and Mission Statement, Khalsa College website http://www.khalsacollegeamritsar.org/index.htm – Accessed 12 February 2010 – Attachment 2 2 „Sukhbir for marshaling positive energy of youth to decimate Congress from electoral scene of Punjab‟ 2009, Punjab News – NRI News, 18 February http://www.nriinternet.com/INDIA/States/Punjab/2009/Feb/18.htm – Accessed 12 February 2010 – Attachment 3 3 Alig, A. & Anwar, A. 2007, „Embers of a Sikh fire‟, Himal South Asian, vol.20, no.10/11, October http://www.himalmag.com/read.php?id=2437 – Accessed 9 October 2007 – Attachment 4 4 „Heresy and History – India‟s Sikhs‟ 2007, The Economist, 5 July – Accessed 10 February 2010 – Attachment 5 2 Punjabi newspapers published pictures of the Baba performing the ceremony along with a short description of the rituals practiced there. Baba Gurmeet Ram Raheem Singh, largely inspired by the way Guru Gobind Singh (the tenth Sikh Guru) created the Khalsa, asked seven of his followers to drink an elixir called Jaam and to renounce their caste name for the term insa (short for insaniyat or humanity). This initiation ceremony was a symbolic rebirth by which the disciple could enter a community where the caste hierarchy does not exist anymore. In the picture published by the press, Baba Gurmeet Singh was dressed in a pink (the colour of DSS) dress, which looked very similar to the one in which Guru Gobind Singh is usually depicted in the calendar art and shown distributing Jaam to followers.

The DSS had been established in 1948. At the beginning it was a branch of the Dera Radhasoami (Beas), one of the most popular sects among several castes in Punjab, which spread a system of rituals and beliefs very close to Sikhism. Several sects similar to DSS are very active in Punjab. Babas, gurus, saints and deras have always occupied an important place in the religious landscape of Punjab. If the Sikh community is commonly perceived, despites all its internal controversies (McLeod 1989), as a religious congregation in itself, which share a common belief in a set of myths, rituals, symbols as well as in the Guru Granth Sahib, it has not always been the case. In its early days, the SikhPanth (literally the „Way‟ and symbolically designating the enlarged Sikh community) appeared as a multitude of distinct sects led by various gurus (Oberoi 1994: 139-207). Fluidity and plurality were thus inherent to Sikhism. However, by the end of the nineteenth century, a process of institutionalization, which implied both the construction of highly delimited boundaries between religious communities (Jones 1973: 457-475) and the homogenization of the Sikh identity, took place within Sikhism. Although the Singh Sabha movement successfully promoted the Tat Khalsa (pure khalsa) identity as the unique and ultimate Sikh identity, especially among the Jats (Oberoi 1994: 207-381), popular religion managed to survive and deras are still flourishing nowadays. The main difference between Sikhism and the ritualistic system of beliefs promoted by these deras lies in the faith of their followers in a living master. This living master is an aberration in itself to the Sikh orthodoxy since in Sikhism the Guru Granth Sahib is the only holder of the divine knowledge. Nevertheless, the presence of these deras is tolerated by the orthodox Sikhs as soon as they show respect to the Guru Granth Sahib and to the main symbols of Sikhism and before 2007 no clashes occurred between the DSS and the orthodox Sikhs.

A day after the publication of the news, on 14th May, hundreds of Sikhs armed with kirpan (sword) took to the streets, hurling infuriated slogans against Baba GRRS. According to them by acting like Guru Gobind Singh, the Baba was identifying himself with the tenth Guru of Sikhism and, as such, was denigrating the superiority of the latter. The epicentre of this protest was the Malwa, especially Bathinda city, where the premis (literally „lovers‟, term used inside DSS to refer to its followers) are particularly numerous. Some demonstrations also took place, though to a lesser extent, in Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi and abroad among the Sikh Diaspora.

At the time of these protests, journalists and scholars provided three distinct kinds of explanations. According to some observers, the use of

3 Sikh religious imagery by heterodox sects more or less distant from Sikhism is enough to stir up the Sikh community‟s primordial passions and have frequently propelled violent protests in the past (The Hindu 2007). Other analysts pointed out that there was an important political dimension in this protest (Swami, Sethi 2007). When Baba Gurmeet Singh became the spiritual master of the dera in 2000, his nomination was supported by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), a party which is well known for its defence of the Sikh orthodoxy. But during the last Legislative Assembly elections in February 2007, the Political Affairs Wing of the DSS in Punjab advised their followers to vote for Punjab Congress Party, resulting in the unprecedented electoral victory of Congress in Malwa region, a traditional bastion of SAD. This directive and the subsequent defeat in Malwa of the SAD‟s main faction, led by Prakash Singh Badal, which enraged the new Chief Minister of Punjab, activated a short-term politics of revenge and exacerbated the tensions following Baba Gurmeet Singh‟s appearance in the press dressed up as Guru Gobind Singh. Finally, a third explanation has been provided by emphasizing the caste dimension of the conflict (Ram 2007: 4066- 4074). The DSS would be composed of around 70 per cent of Scheduled Castes (SC) and would operate as a space for the political assertion of Dalits identity, whose members constitute approximately 30 per cent of Punjab‟s total population. This dynamic would have infuriated the Jat Sikhs, an agricultural caste which owns most of the land and dominates most of the political and religious institutions of Punjab, as they resent the rise of SC awareness and intend to preserve their power. 5

There are many different analyses of the Sikh–Dera conflict, suffice to say that tension between the two groups continues today and is exacerbated by Gurmeet Singh‟s behaviour. (*Note: see Question 1 in Country Advice Response IND34112 for general information on the beliefs, practices and membership of DSS.)

4 Is there any information about any clashes between them and Shiromani Akali Dal?

In May 2007, members of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) faction clashed with members of the DSS. The clashes occurred over DSS leader Gurmeet Ram Raheem Singh‟s impersonation of the 10th Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is the umbrella name for a number of Sikh political parties in Punjab. Although founded as one political entity in 1920, Shiromani Akali Dal has since broken into six factions with each claiming to represent the real Shiromani Akali Dal. Some factions are in mainstream politics and others are militant.

The SAD is in power in Punjab. SAD-Badal‟s relationship with DSS is complex and must be understood in the context of the 2007 Punjab elections. In 2007, Himal – a South Asian news and analysis service – published a critical overview:

5 Baixas, L & Simon, C. 2008, „From Protesters to Martyrs: How to Become a „True‟ Sikh‟, South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal, Special Issue – no.2, ‘Outraged Communities’: Comparative Perspectives on the Politicization of Emotions in South Asia’ http://samaj.revues.org/document1532.html – Accessed 12 February 2010 – Attachment 6 4 Although it is the Dera‟s [Dera Sacha Sauda‟s] social work that has been key in drawing millions of followers in recent decades, its numerical strength has given the Dera significant political clout, particularly in Punjab and Haryana. This has also made the organisation the centre of intense speculation. More than most, Punjab cannot afford to exclude religion from politics, and state politics are dominated by Sikhs. Punjab‟s biggest party is the Shiromani Akali Dal, which has significant influence over Sikh religious organisations, including nearly eight decades of control over the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC), the most prominent Sikh religious body.

As such, when violence erupted this past spring [May 2007], the SAD- led [SAD-Badal] Punjab government had little space in which to turn: the state government could not suppress the Dera, given its numbers; nor could it turn its back on the mainstream Sikh community, which had come out onto the streets in the tens of thousands. Meanwhile, the SAD‟s coalition partner, the (BJP), was also experiencing difficulties, with memories still fresh over the large-scale killings of Hindus in Punjab during the 1980s [the ]. BJP worries, over the possibility that Hindus would again be victimised if violence were to spiral, have had the party favour a solution that would rein in both the Dera and the Sikh community at large.

Further complicating matters is the fact that, in the last state assembly elections, Gurmeet Singh threw his support not behind the SAD, but behind the Congress. Indeed, with the Congress having won 37 out of 75 seats in the Legislative Assembly during the last election, largely in constituencies that have a significant number of Dera supporters, some have even warned that the Dera is stealthily entering Punjab and Haryana politics through the backdoor. The pan-India following of the Dera Sacha Sauda could ultimately spoil the SAD‟s future political ambitions.6

In the wake of those elections, media reports of SAD-Badal harassing DSS followers and instigating anti-DSS protests surfaced. Some commentators also believed the government‟s slow response to the May 2007 violence – a lag of about three days – was due to DSS‟ backing of the Bharatiya Janata Party.7 In 2007, an article published in The Economist summarised the situation:

In May violent clashes lasting several days broke out between mainstream Sikhs and followers of the Dera Sacha Sauda, a powerful group that had supported Congress in state-assembly elections two months earlier. The Sikhs‟ main political party, the Akali Dal [SAD- Badal], which won the elections, encouraged protests against the Dera. The violence followed what mainstream Sikhs saw as an act of heresy by the Dera‟s charismatic leader, Ram Rahim Singh. He dressed up as Gobind Singh, the Sikhs‟ most revered 17th century guru. The Akali Dal government seized on the event, hoping to reduce the Dera‟s political clout in important constituencies.

6 Alig, A. & Anwar, A. 2007, „Embers of a Sikh fire‟, Himal South Asian, vol.20, no.10/11, October http://www.himalmag.com/read.php?id=2437 – Accessed 9 October 2007 – Attachment 4 7 „Keep the Faith‟ 2007, , 17 June – Accessed 21 June 2007 – Attachment 7 5 Religious leaders at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the Sikhs‟ holiest shrine, and the centre of the troubles in the 1980s, demanded an apology from Mr Singh. They rejected both an expression of “regret” and an “apology for humanity‟s sake”. On June 27th the state government raised the stakes by authorising the police to arrest Mr Singh for hurting Sikh sentiments. The aim was to stop him entering Punjab from his base in the neighbouring state of Haryana, and so to make it harder for him to build up an anti-Akali Dal political movement. 8

However, in 2008 and 2009, there was evidence to indicate that SAD-Badal was seeking rapprochement with the DSS. For example, in April 2009, The Hindu reported:

On May 7, the largest agricultural belt and cotton hub in Punjab, the Malwa region, goes to the polls. Though there are umpteen poll issues, parties are as usual queuing up at the Dera Sacha Sauda chief, Gurmeet Ram Raheem Singh‟s durbar. Both the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) are trying to get the votes of the Dera‟s 10 million followers who have a reputation of voting as a block.

In the last few months, to prevent electoral reverses, the SAD (Badal) government is said to be softening its stand on the Dera by letting it re- open the branches in Punjab that were shut after the violence. 9

No further information was found on members of SAD-Badal clashing with DSS.

(*Note: see Question 2 in Country Advice Response IND34112 for media reports and scholarly articles on the relationship between SAD-Badal and DSS).

5 Please provide information about the clashes in June 2008. Is there information about clashes at this time in Amritsar, Punjab too? At other times in Amritsar?

In June 2008, Sikh–DSS clashes occurred when a Sikh was killed by Gurmeet Singh‟s bodyguard in . Riots occurred in Mumbai and Punjab, including in Amritsar where a cinema hall was damaged and railway tracks blocked. The Punjab government condemned the riots and called on the government to arrest Gurmeet Singh, according to media reporting. However, no information was sighted to indicate he was arrested. The 2008 US Department of State report on religious freedom in India summarises the event: On June 20, 2008, a Sikh was killed while protesting against Ram Rahim Singh, head of the Dera Sacha Sauda (a breakaway Sikh faction). Police arrested the bodyguards who had killed the Sikh. Riots by 1,500 members of Mumbai‟s Sikh community followed the next day to demand the arrest of Ram Rahim Singh. The rioters shut down parts of Mumbai‟s northern suburbs through various coercive methods, including brandishing swords. The tension died down in Mumbai after the victim‟s funeral. The two Sikh communities have a history of conflict between them.10

8„Heresy and History – India‟s Sikhs‟ 2007, The Economist, 5 July – Accessed 10 February 2010 – Attachment 5 9 Mahaprashasta, A. 2009, „Akalis, Congress woo Dera Sacha Sauda‟, The Hindu, 19 April http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2009/04/19/stories/2009041950260400.htm – Accessed 10 February 2010 – Attachment 8 10 US Department of State 2008, International Religious Freedom Report for 2008 – India, 19 September – Attachment 9 6 In response to the event, fundamental Sikh groups also rioted in Amritsar. A July 2008 article in Daily News and Analysis describes the riots:

The Punjab and Haryana bandh [strike] called by radical organisations to protest the killing of a Sikh youth, allegedly by Dera Sacha Sauda followers, turned violent on Wednesday … The near-total bandh saw violent demonstrations by Sikhs seeking the arrest of Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh at over a dozen places and crippled normal life in the two states [Punjab and Haryana]…The protestors smashed window panes of buses in Mohali, damaged a cinema hall in Amritsar and forced closure of shops in Jalandhar. Most commercial establishments remained closed in Punjab and a few Haryana cities, while pubic transport was off roads…Sikh demonstrators squatted on railway tracks near Vala village in Amritsar district on Wednesday, following which railway authorities stopped the Amritsar-Delhi Shatabdi, Jan Shatabdi, Sachkhand and the Amritsar-Delhi Super express trains….A large number of private educational institutes remained closed in Punjab as a precaution…Apex Sikh religious body the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee supported the bandh and declared holiday in all its religious, administrative and educational institutions.11

(*Note: see Question 2 in Country Advice Response IND34112 for media coverage of the June 2008 riots and the Punjab government‟s reaction).

6 What state protection would be available to people personally targeted in Amritsar by Dera Sachha Sauda?

Police protection may not be available in Amritsar. Police corruption and political patronage are endemic and, as a whole, police capability is severely overstretched.

Policing across India Country Advice IND36128 of 13 April 2010 provides a comprehensive overview of policing across India. The effectiveness of India‟s various state polices in providing service to Indian citizens can vary tremendously, from one district to another, and according to circumstance. Effective state protection certainly cannot be expected as a general rule. In August 2009 Human Rights Watch (HRW) published a major study of policing in India which found India‟s “police overstretched and ill-equipped. There is just one civil police officer for every 1,037 Indian residents, far below Asia‟s regional average of one police officer for 558 people and the global average of 333 people”.12 Poor employment conditions of this kind, along with a lack of institutional reform, have reportedly resulted in an ongoing culture of corruption and abuse; and according to HRW: “Many Indians avoid any contact with the police, believing not only that they will not receive assistance but that they risk demands for bribes, illegal detention, torture, or even death”.13 The exception to the rule is

11 Bharadwaj, A. 2008, „Sikh–Dera showdown shuts Punjab down‟, Daily News & Analysis, 24 July http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_sikh-dera-showdown-shuts-punjab-down_1179447 – Accessed 10 February 2010 – Attachment 11 12 Human Rights Watch 2009, Broken System: Dysfunction, Abuse and Impunity in the Indian Police, August, pp.5-6 http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/india0809web.pdf – Accessed 7 December 2009 – Attachment 12 13ibid, pp.6-8 7 where the person requiring assistance is a prominent figure and, in particular, a local politician of influence.14 Other monitors have commented similarly. In an extensive study of India‟s police forces produced by Dr R.K. Raghavan (a former Director of India‟s Central Bureau of Investigation) it is found that state governments, because they exert direct influence over a senior policeman‟s career, have the ability to encourage partisan behaviour through the threat of transfers and demotion; “As a result, senior officers are unlikely to displease the political masters when the latter ask for irregular favours. Conformity rather than confrontation is therefore the order of the day”.15 The US Department of State‟s most recent report on human rights in India has observed of the preceding year that: “Corruption in the police force was pervasive”; that: “Human rights activists and NGOs reported that bribery was often necessary to receive police services”; and that: “As in the previous year, there were credible reports that police throughout the country failed to file required arrest reports for detained persons, resulting in hundreds of unresolved disappearances”.16 In November 2008 Australia‟s High Commission in Delhi advised as follows: In India a complaint or allegation against someone can be registered with the police, and a registration number issued, but in many cases there is no follow-up action. Further, persons reported to be „arrested‟ are often simply taken into police custody for questioning and subsequently released without charge. There are also substantial delays within the Indian legal system that can see cases waiting, sometimes for several years, for progress.17

Policing in Punjab and Amritsar

Policing across Punjab is run by one body – the Punjab Police. State policing is divided into three zones –Border, Patiala and Jalandhar zones. Each zone comprises two ranges and eight districts. Amritsar City is its own district.18

There are no recent reports of Sikhs being attacked by DSS members in Amritsar. Consequently it is difficult to determine what state protection would be available to Sikhs there. Between 2007 and 2009, there were many reports of police arresting Sikhs and DSS members for violence across Punjab. These reports indicate that police have intervened, stopped and acted to prevent Sikh–DSS violence in the past. Moreover, the reports of Sikh and DSS arrests indicate that police do not show blanket favouritism to one group. However, none of the reports sighted were situated in Amritsar and no specific information on DSS arrests in Amritsar could be found.

The recent police responses to Sikh–DSS violence in Punjab – see question 11 – indicate that police continue to clamp down on Sikh–DSS violence in what appears to be an indiscriminate manner. Moreover, they indicate a level of police cooperation across two zones. However, due to corruption and political patronage, it remains plausible that Amristar police would take no action to safeguard a victim‟s life.

14ibid, p.8 15 Raghavan, R.K. 2003, „The Indian Police: Problems and Prospects‟, Publius, vol.33, no.4, p.131 – Attachment 13 16 US Department of State 2009, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2008 – India, 25 February – Attachment 10 17 Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade 2008, DFAT Report 916 – RRT Information Request, 11 November – Attachment 14 18 Punjab Police 2008, Police Zones, Ranges and Districts, Punjab Police website, 5 May http://www.punjabpoliceindia.org/dzr.aspx – Accessed 12 February 2010 – Attachment 15 8 Several Sikh militant groups have alleged that the Punjab Police are partisan and, although these groups have their own agendas, there is probably some truth in their claims. For example, in July 2008, one group‟s claims were published in Punjab News Online:

Dal Khalsa International, a radical outfit of Sikhs on Thursday sent a Memorandum to the members of Indian Parliament to apprise them of the fluid and volatile situation of Punjab vis-à-vis Indian state‟s patronization to “self proclaimed” godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim, head of Sirsa cult [Sirsa, Haryana is the location of DSS‟ head office]. … Dal Khalsa writes, “The repeated pleas of the Sikhs before the Government of India as well as the Chief Ministers of both Punjab and Haryana to take immediate steps to contain Sirsa dera head Gurmeet Ram Rahim for his reckless and calculated outrage of Sikh sentiments has gone unheard and unattended. The government authorities instead have further precipitated things by extending official patronage to him. The aim has always been to ridicule Sikh doctrines, to mock at Sikh practices and to provoke Sikhs into violent protest or dishonourable submission”.

The memorandum said that the continuing logistic support to Dera head Gurmeet Ram Rahim by the Centre and Haryana governments has taken the lives of 3 Sikhs namely Kanwaljit Singh of Sunam, Harmandar Singh of Dabwali and Balkar Singh of Mumbai so far. These killings have evoked strong reaction amongst general masses resulting in halting trains, blocking traffics and shutting business establishments to demand the immediate arrest of pseudo-baba [Gurmeet Singh] in various criminal cases. Newspapers are full of stories of incidents of clashes between devout Sikhs and mislead followers of dera.19

[*Note: None of these Sikh deaths occurred in Amritsar. Kanwaljit Singh was killed in Bathinda, Punjab in May 2007; Harmandar Singh was killed in Dabwali, Haryana in July 2008; and, Balkar Singh was killed in Mumbai in June 2008.]

Supporting these allegations is the fact that Gurmeet Ram Singh remains free in spite of the charges against him. This probably indicates some level of political interference in Punjab policing.

(*Note: see Question 3 in Country Advice Response IND34112 for further information on police protection in other areas of Punjab and Haryana.)

7 Please provide information about Guru Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh.

Gurmeet Ram Raheem Singh is the third leader of DSS. He was born in 1967 to Sikh parents. In 1990, during the peak of the militancy in Punjab, Gurmeet Singh took over as DSS president and assumed its spiritual leadership, according to information on the DSS website.20

19 Bains, S. 2008, „Dal Khalsa writes to MP‟s on state patronisation of Dera Sacha Sauda Chief‟, Punjab News Online, 31 July http://www.punjabnewsline.com/content/view/11440/38/ – Accessed 12 February 2010 – Attachment 16 20„Lifesketch of the present Master Sant Gurmeet Ram Raheem Singh Ji Maharaj (The Present Guru)‟ (undated), Dera Sacha Sauda website http://www.derasachasauda.in/guruji3.html – Accessed 14 January 2008 – Attachment 17 9 Under Gurmeet Singh, DSS membership grew and the group acquired large plots of agricultural land, allegedly by coercion, despite maintaining it refuses donations. Moreover, since 2002, Gurmeet Singh has been the subject of legal inquiry for offences including alleged sexual exploitation and abetting the murder of a journalist. Although the investigation lapsed, probably due to corruption, the events of May 2007 saw the inquiry resurface and Gurmeet Singh was charged with rape, murder and criminal conspiracy.21 However, as of January 2010 these charges were still unresolved. An article in Himal provides a short description of the Guru:

Subsequent years, particularly the first several months of 2007, have revealed Gurmeet Singh to be less than a „god incarnate‟. Indeed, past indiscretions aside, he now appears to be more of a thoroughly earthly megalomaniac – even worse, one that has found, in faith, a convenient outlet for indulging his lusts. Gurmeet Singh now stands accused of murder, sexual exploitation and illegal possession of arms and ammunition, amidst longstanding demands by the Punjab and Haryana High Courts of a CBI probe. In early August of this year, the CBI filed a charge sheet against the Dera and Gurmeet Singh.22

Guru Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has also been the target of several assassination attempts by Sikh militants. In February 2008, police foiled a bomb attack on the Guru‟s life and in November 2008, police arrested several members of a Sikh militant group that had also planned to kill him. According to an article in the Punjab News Online:

Punjab Police claimed to have foiled a plan to assassinate controversial Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh by arresting its three members and confiscating a large consignment of arms and ammunition.23

(*Note, see Country Advice response IND34112 for further information about the charges against Gurmeet Singh, earlier assassination attempts and the foiled bomb plot).

8 [Deleted.]

9 Please provide information about whether Dera Sachha Sauda consider Gurmit Ram Singh to be a god.

By addressing Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh as a guru, DSS followers acknowledge Gurmeet Singh as their spiritual leader – or god-like equivalent. In Dera Sacha Sauda, there is no higher spiritual authority than Guru Gurmeet Singh and so it can be said that DSS followers consider him to be a god.

21„CBI charges Dera chief with murder‟ 2007, , 2 August – Attachment 18 22 Alig, A & Anwar, A 2007, „Embers of a Sikh fire‟, Himal South Asian, vol.20, no.10/11, October http://www.himalmag.com/read.php?id=2437 – Accessed 9 October 2007 – Attachment 4 23„Punjab police sniff out major KCF plan to kill Dera chief‟ 2008, Punjab Newsline, 10 November http://www.punjabnewsline.com/content/view/13630/38/ – Accessed 11 February 2010 – Attachment 19 10 10 Please provide background information on Sikhs.

Sikhs comprise 1.9 per cent of India‟s population with most living in Punjab. 24 Founded in the 15th Century, Sikhism is a reform movement borne from Hinduism. It rejects the caste system, holding up equal rights for all. Sikh‟s belief system is based on the lives and teachings of 10 successive gurus (or gods) who lived over the course of several centuries. Today, Sikhs revere their gurus‟ teachings in the religious scripture – the Granth Sahib – which they treat as a living guru – the Guru Granth Sahib. Much of Sikh history is controversial and marred by periods of militancy. Sikh history could be described as struggle to protect the rights of a religious Punjabi-speaking minority that, in the late 20th Century, developed into a movement for outright independence – the Khalistan movement. Founded in the 1920s, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), the dominant Sikh political party, spearheaded the Sikh cause but later split into several factions. The strongest faction SAD-Badal, led by Parkash Singh Badal, abandoned the independence movement in favour of a power-sharing relationship with Hindu nationalist party, the BJP in Punjab, which it has held since 1997.25

11 Are there reports of regular politically motivated violence or killings against low level members of political parties?

Incidents of violence and killings – whether politically or religiously motivated – do occur between members of the Sikh community and DSS. However, clashes do not appear to be regular and they do not always involve political groups. The faction known as Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar Panch Pardani) is one political group that is active against the DSS. However, aside from the events of May 2007, and the violent aftermath, no reports were sighted implicating SAD-Badal in DSS attacks or vice versa.

In the wake of the May 2007 and June 2008 riots, there were numerous reports of Sikh–DSS clashes and some deaths, and there were further sporadic clashes in 2009. Most clashes were provoked by Sikhs who attempted to close DSS worship sites. There were also reports of DSS members protesting police inaction against Sikh militants.

It is difficult to conclusively determine which parts of the Sikh community have been most active against the DSS, rendering a characterisation of the violence as either politically or religiously motivated equally difficult.

(*Note: see Question 2 in Country Advice Response IND34112 for further media reports on Sikh–DSS clashes of 2007 and 2008).

No reports of violence were sighted for 2010; however, there were several reports in 2009. For example, according to India, in May 2009:

Tension prevailed in Shimlapuri [in Ludhiana, northern Punjab] area this morning after 20 armed assailants of the Ek Noor Khalsa Fauj, Damdma Sahib, [a militant Sikh group] allegedly attacked followers of the Dera Sacha Sauda at Street No. 8, Satguru Nagar, leaving 12

24 CIA 2010, CIA World Fact book 2009 – India, CIA website, 26 January https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/in.html – Accessed 12 February 2010 – Attachment 20 25 Nandi, P, K. 1996, „Socio-Political Context of Sikh Militancy in India‟, Journal of Asian and African Studies, Leiden, vol.31, no.3-4, pp.178-190 – Attachment 21 11 injured…The followers of both the groups sustained serious injuries and were rushed to the CMC and the Civil Hospital for treatment. ..The incident took place at around 7.30 am when the Dera Sach Sauda followers were returning after attending a weekly prayer. Area residents said the followers of the Ek Noor Khalsa Fauj were armed with swords and other sharp-edged weapons. After being attacked, the Dera followers ran backwards for cover.

In the meantime, a few more followers of the Ek Noor Khalsa Fauj arrived on the spot and surrounded the Dera followers from both sides and attacked them.26

Also in 2009, a DSS member was killed in Mansa – about 189 km south of Amritsar. DSS followers protested the killing and reportedly rioted over police inaction. One DSS member was killed as police restored law and order. In July 2009, Thaindian News published the following report:

A follower of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect was shot dead in a Punjab village Tuesday, police said. Tension was reported in the area and other towns of the state following the murder. According to police, Lilly Kumar, who was in his late thirties, was shot dead near the sect‟s office in Alampur Mandra village in Punjab‟s Mansa district, around 200 km from here…Hundreds of sect supporters marched carrying the body of Kumar. They later damaged police vehicles and state-run buses. Police opened fire to control the mob…According to police sources, 24-year-old Amritpal Jakhal, a sect follower, died in the firing. 27

In a follow-up to the incident, in August 2009, police arrested a Sikh militant for inciting youth violence and for abetting Kumar‟s murder. The arrest took place in Ludhiana – about 124 km south of Amristar, according to :

Earlier in August, police arrested Balbir Singh Bhootana, a Babbar Khalsa International and Khalistan Commando Force militant, from Ludhiana Railway Station for allegedly inciting the youth to take up arms. He reportedly told his interrogators that he planned the murder of a Dera Sacha Sauda follower Lilly Kumar in Mansa and supplied arms to Makhan Singh, another terrorist arrested in the same case.28

From the available information it would appear that Sikh–DSS violence typically flares up in response to major events – such as those involving Gurmeet Singh. These events are sporadic in nature with the ensuing violence taking place within a definite period. There is no evidence to indicate that attacks continue on a regular basis. Moreover no information was found to indicate that Sikh–DSS violence regularly occurs in Amritsar.

26„Bloody brawl at Shimlapuri: 12 hurt as Khalsa Fauj, Dera followers clash‟ 2009, The Tribune, 24 May http://www.tribuneindia.com/2009/20090525/ldh1.htm – Accessed 30 June 2009 – Attachment 22 27 „One killed in police firing as sect followers resort to violence‟ 2009, Thaindian News, 29 July http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/one-killed-in-police-firing-as-sect-followers-resort-to- violence_100224878.html#ixzz0fGkX5FFR – Accessed 10 February – Attachment 23 28Bajwa, H 2009, „Drug, arms seizures point to Punjab ultras‟, Indian Express, 28 September http://www.indianexpress.com/news/drug-arms-seizures-point-to-punjab-ultras/522284/0 – Accessed 10 February 2010 – Attachment 24

12 List of attachments

1. Consortium for Research on Educational Access Transitions and Equity (CREATE) 2009, Educational Access in India, Country Policy Brief, CREATE website, May http://www.create-rpc.org/pdf_documents/policybriefindia.pdf – Accessed 12 February 2010.

2. Khalsa College 2009, College Profile and Mission Statement, Khalsa College website http://www.khalsacollegeamritsar.org/index.htm – Accessed 12 February 2010.

3. „Sukhbir for marshaling positive energy of youth to decimate Congress from electoral scene of Punjab‟ 2009, Punjab News – NRI News, 18 February http://www.nriinternet.com/INDIA/States/Punjab/2009/Feb/18.htm – Accessed 12 February 2010.

4. Alig, A. & Anwar, A. 2007, „Embers of a Sikh fire‟, Himal South Asian, vol.20, no.10/11, October http://www.himalmag.com/read.php?id=2437 - Accessed 9 October 2007.

5. „Heresy and History – India‟s Sikhs‟ 2007, The Economist, 5 July – Accessed 10 February 2010.

6. Baixas, L & Simon, C. 2008, „From Protesters to Martyrs: How to Become a „True‟ Sikh‟, South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal, Special Issue – no.2, ‘Outraged Communities’: Comparative Perspectives on the Politicization of Emotions in South Asia’. http://samaj.revues.org/document1532.html - Accessed 12 February 2010.

7. „Keep the Faith‟ 2007, Hindustan Times, 17 June – Accessed 21 June 2007.

8. Mahaprashasta, A. 2009, „Akalis, Congress woo Dera Sacha Sauda‟, The Hindu, 19 April http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2009/04/19/stories/2009041950260400.htm – Accessed 10 February 2010.

9. US Department of State 2008, International Religious Freedom Report for 2008 – India, 19 September – http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2008/108500.htm

10. US Department of State 2009, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2008 – India, 25 February.

11. Bharadwaj, A 2008, „Sikh–Dera showdown shuts Punjab down‟, Daily News & Analysis, 24 July http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_sikh-dera-showdown-shuts- punjab-down_1179447 – Accessed 10 February 2010.

12. Human Rights Watch 2009, Broken System: Dysfunction, Abuse and Impunity in the Indian Police, August, http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/india0809web.pdf – Accessed 7 December 2009.

13. Raghavan, R.K. 2003, „The Indian Police: Problems and Prospects‟, Publius, vol.33, no.4, p. 131.

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14. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade 2008, DFAT Report 916 – RRT Information Request, 11 November.

15. Punjab Police 2008, Police Zones, Ranges and Districts, Punjab Police website, 5 May http://www.punjabpoliceindia.org/dzr.aspx - Accessed 12 February 2010.

16. Bains, S. 2008, „Dal Khalsa writes to MP‟s on state patronisation of Dera Sacha Sauda Chief‟, Punjab News Online, 31 July http://www.punjabnewsline.com/content/view/11440/38/ - Accessed 12 February 2010.

17. „Lifesketch of the present Master Sant Gurmeet Ram Raheem Singh Ji Maharaj (The Present Guru)‟ (undated), Dera Sacha Sauda website http://www.derasachasauda.in/guruji3.html

18. „CBI charges Dera chief with murder‟ 2007, The Economic Times, 2 August.

19. „Punjab police sniff out major KCF plan to kill Dera chief‟ 2008, Punjab Newsline, 10 November http://www.punjabnewsline.com/content/view/13630/38/ – Accessed 11 February 2010.

20. CIA 2010, CIA World Fact book 2009 – India, CIA website, 26 January https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/in.html - Accessed 12 February 2010

21. Nandi, P, K. 1996, „Socio-Political Context of Sikh Militancy in India‟, Journal of Asian and African Studies, Leiden, vol.31, no.3-4.

22. „Bloody brawl at Shimlapuri: 12 hurt as Khalsa Fauj, Dera followers clash‟ 2009, The Tribune, 24 May http://www.tribuneindia.com/2009/20090525/ldh1.htm – Accessed 30 June 2009.

23. „One killed in police firing as sect followers resort to violence‟ 2009, Thaindian News, 29 July http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/one-killed-in-police- firing-as-sect-followers-resort-to-violence_100224878.html#ixzz0fGkX5FFR – Accessed 10 February.

24. Bajwa, H 2009, „Drug, arms seizures point to Punjab ultras‟, Indian Express, 28 September http://www.indianexpress.com/news/drug-arms-seizures-point-to- punjab-ultras/522284/0.

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