Stop riots, Shiv Sena chief warns Sikhs

A day after thousands of armed Sikhs attacked commuters, Shiv Sena Chief has warned them to stop the sword attacks immediately, reports Sayli Udas Mankikar.

A day after thousands of armed Sikhs attacked innocent commuters, Shiv Sena Chief Balasaheb Thackeray sent them a warning signal through the Shiv Sena mouthpiece Samna.

HT Image

“Whatever your sects and your differences, stop the sword attacks immediately,” he wrote in Sunday's issue. "If Maharashtra rises in anger, it will be a big disaster."

Thackeray also lashed out on the Congress government saying it had ‘sat back without moving an inch’ when the incident occurred. The Sikhs had reacted on Saturday to the Friday evening incident when a bodyguard of the Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh opened fire on some Sikhs. The Dera is at loggerheads with the Sikh clergy.

Thackeray reminded his readers that after the assassination of Indira Gandhi in November 1984, senior Sikh leaders had come to him fearful of their community's safety. He assured them that not a single Sikh would be hurt, and ensured this in Mumbai.

A delegation of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee arrived from Amritsar to meet the chief minister. It also announced compensation for the Sikhs who had been killed or injured.