Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Friday convened an all-party meeting in Chandigarh in the wake of sectarian strife between followers of the Dera Sacha Sauda and Sikhs even as an uneasy calm prevailed in parts of the state.
After four consecutive days of clashes at several places in Punjab, including Bathinda, Khanna and Ludhiana, between various Sikhs organisations and followers of Dera Sacha Sauda, Badal has convened an all-party meeting later in the day, official sources said.
Besides this, the chief minister has also called a meeting of his cabinet colleagues in the wake of the clashes which have claimed one life and injured over 100 people.
The Political Affairs Committee -- the highest decision making body of the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal -- will also meet here under the chairmanship of Badal in the afternoon, party sources said.
Congress Legislature Party leader Rajinder Kaur Bhattal had also convened a meeting of party MLAs in the afternoon, sources said.
Bhattal claimed that her party's first priority is to diffuse the present situation.
"We will participate in the all-party meeting and take all necessary steps to diffuse the situation in the violence-ravaged state," she said.
Meanwhile, security forces were maintaining a tight vigil and paramilitary forces have been deployed at sensitive places, including Bathinda and Moga, in order to help Punjab police maintain law and order, DIG police Ishwar Chander said.
The state's top police brass held a meeting with other police officers and officers of civil administration to take all possible necessary steps to diffuse the prevailing tense situation in Punjab, official sources said.
At a few sensitive places in Punjab, jawans of paramilitary forces conducted flag marches to instill a sense of security among people, they added.
Several areas in Bhathinda, which saw clashes over the past four days, were cordoned off by a large number of policemen, N K Tiwari, IG Zonal, Patiala, said.
Around 50 companies of paramilitary forces had been deployed at various places which witnessed violence.
Several Sikh organisations and leaders have demanded the arrest of the head of Dera Sacha Sauda, Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, for alleged blasphemy.
A constant vigil is being maintained on the activists of followers of rival religious groups by the Centre and the Punjab and Haryana governments.
One person was killed yesterday in a clash in Sangrur district and at least 22 people injured in sporadic incidents of violence, most of them attacks on Dera properties by Sikh protestors.
Dera head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh purportedly appeared in the attire of the 10th Sikh guru in an advertisement in some newspapers, sparking clashes between Sikhs and Dera followers in Punjab, Rajasthan and New Delhi over the past three days.
