A Bathinda court today issued an arrest warrant against Dera Sacha Sauda head Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of Sikhs, even as the sect sent a fresh apology letter to Sikh leaders.
Bathinda (Punjab), June 20 : A Bathinda court today issued an arrest warrant against Dera Sacha Sauda head Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of Sikhs, even as the sect sent a fresh apology letter to Sikh leaders.
However, Duty Magistrate K L Khitchi asked the Punjab Police to get permission from the State Government to prosecute the Dera chief.
The warrant was issued following an application by the police, which claimed they had sufficient evidence against Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.
Clashes between Sikhs and the sect erupted on May 14, a day after an advertisement appeared in local newspapers, showing sect leader Baba Gurmit Ram Raheem dressed up in clothes similar to that worn by Guru Gobind Singh.
The Sikhs took offence and termed it as 'blasphemous'. Skirmishes between rival groups flared into mob violence when the Akal Takht -- the top body of Sikh clergies --urged the community to boycott the sect.
The sect leader denied any wrongdoing and tendered an apology on May 27, saying he had absolutely no intention to imitate or replicate the Sikh guru. The Sikh clergy however, rejected the apology.
The sect says it is a social organization that believes in the oneness of god and does not adhere to a particular faith, though its leader wears a turban and has a long beard in the Sikh style.
ANI