Hundreds of Sikh protestors clashed with the police, damaged buses and blocked rail tracks in India's Mumbai city on Saturday demanding that criminal charges be slapped against the leader of a sect whose bodyguards shot dead a Sikh man, officials said.
The trouble began on Friday evening near a mall in Mumbai's Mulund area when Sikhs clashed with the followers of Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, head of the Dera Sacha Sauda (True Deal Sect). A Sikh was killed after Singh's bodyguards opened fire on protestors who had blocked the leader's way outside the mall.
Sikhs accuse the DSS of insulting their religion and have been enraged at Singh since he was seen dressed as the last Sikh Guru, Gobind Singh, at a public function last year. Angry protestors stormed the Mulund Railway Station on Saturday morning, brought the trains to a halt and started damaging the station, a railway spokesman said. The blockade disrupted rail traffic on the section for nearly three hours after which police managed to disperse the agitators.
"We want Ram Rahim to be charged for the criminal act and we will not stop till he is arrested," said Dashmeet Singh, a Sikh youth who took part in a sit-in outside the Mulund police station.
Later on Saturday afternoon, Sikhs, brandishing swords, took to the streets and damaged at least four buses. Police had to resort to firing tear-gas to disperse the agitated mobs. Mulund and the neighbouring suburbs of Mumbai were tense and witnessed a partial shutdown as many shops and establishments downed shutters.
The Mumbai police said it had already arrested three of the DSS chief's bodyguards who were remanded to police custody by a local court. The state administration, which ordered an inquiry into the incident, has also convened a meeting with community leaders to stop the violence.
The Sikh protests however appeared to be spreading across India with Sikh groups blocking highways in northern Jammu city and Sirsa city where the DSS headquarters is located.
The DSS was set up in 1948 and claims it has over 20 million members in India and abroad. Most of its members are from economically backward communities including Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims. According to its members, the DSS recognises one universal god and respects all religions and while it is involved in voluntary social work, it shuns donations in any form.
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