Chandigarh: In the wake of clashes between Sikhs and Dera Sacha Sauda supporters in a town in Haryana, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today sought the Centre's intervention into the issue.

Reacting to death of a person in the clash at Dabwali town in Sirsa district of Haryana, he said the guilty must be given stringent punishment. Badal also appealed to the people to maintain peace and amity. He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the 29th annual Convocation of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) here.

Asked that the Dera spokesman had accused his son Sukhbir Singh Badal of being instrumental in the clash, Badal said, "Sukhbir is not connected with the issue at all. It is a lie."

He said "though the incident had occurred in neighbouring Haryana, he had put Punjab on high alert by giving necessary instructions to the district police chiefs." Meanwhile, Sant Samaj, a conglomerate of various Sikh organisations staging a "peaceful" sit-in here for the past ten days seeking immediate arrest of Dera chief Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh, demanded removal of Akal Takhat Jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti for remaining a "mute spectator" on the issue.

Sant Samaj convenor and Damdami Taksal chief Harnam Singh Khalsa, said, "if he (Vedanti) cannot protect interests of Sikhs, he should then immediately quit his post". In a veiled threat, Khalsa said that "if anything worse happens tomorrow than the Governments at Centre, Punjab, Haryana and Maharashtra will be responsible for it."
Source : PTI