Dera followers seek withdrawal of arrest warrant against their chief

The followers of Dera Sacha Sauda sect met Punjab Governor General (Retd.) S.F. Rodrigues here on Tuesday, and sought withdrawal of arrest warrant against their chief Gurmeet Ram Raheem Singh, who has been accused of hurting Sikh sentiments.

Chandigarh, July 3 : The followers of Dera Sacha Sauda sect met Punjab Governor General (Retd.) S.F. Rodrigues here on Tuesday, and sought withdrawal of arrest warrant against their chief Gurmeet Ram Raheem Singh, who has been accused of hurting Sikh sentiments.

A group of over 20 followers of the sect appealed to General (Retd.) Rodrigues to take back the warrant against their leader and other followers.

"We want cancellation of fake charges against our Guru ji. We also want dismissal of the arrest warrant issued against him. Second- the charges against all Dera followers should also be withdrawn. Third- the Dera followers should be given the freedom of holding prayers meet across the nation, which they are not being allowed to now. The harassment of Dera followers should stop," said Himani Insan, a Dera follower.Clashes had erupted between Sikhs and followers of the sect, on May 14, a day after an advertisement appeared showing their leader, Gurmeet Singh, dressed up as Guru Gobind Singh, a revered 17th century Sikh guru.

The Sikhs took offence to it, terming the act as 'blasphemous'.

Later, a Punjab court ordered the arrest of Dera chief for hurting the religious sentiments of the Sikhs. However, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has kept it in abeyance till August 6.

ANI