Moga, Punjab: Tension gripped Moga’s Baghapurana town last evening as followers of Dera Sauda Sirsa and supporters of Sikh organisations reportedly clashed over the controversial movie, “Messenger of God (MSG)”.
The controversial film has dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim in the lead role. Media reports says ‘the two groups threw stones at each other’ and ‘the police opened fire into the air to disperse the crowd’.
Certain media reports said many persons were injured. Senior police and civil officers rushed to the trouble spot.
There was tension in the town since Dec. 29 after posters of the controversial movie were found torn.
Hundreds of dera followers and supporters of Sikh bodies from adjoining villages began to assemble at Baghapurana on the morning of Dec. 30 after the police detained three youths for damaging the film’s posters.
While the dera followers demanded that the police register a criminal case against the youths for hurting religious sentiments, supporters of various Sikh organisations demanded that they be released.
Two groups raised slogans against each other and blocked the Kotkapura-Moga road, said Harjit Singh Pannu, Superintendent of Police (D), Moga.
This is the third such clash between dera followers and Sikh organisations in Moga district in the past one week. Earlier, the two had clashed in Moga and Thathi Bhai village. In both the cases, criminal cases were filed against unidentified persons on the complaint of the dera followers. The dera followers have a sizeable presence in the area.
Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) is a Sirsa based controversial cult whose head Gurmeet Ram Rahim is facing criminal charges, including charges of rape and murder, and trial in a CBI court. He had targeted Sikhs in 2007 with his offensive activities after which and edict was issued by Akal Takht declaring that DSS was an ‘anti-Sikh cult’.