Having signed its fingers in Punjab once, the Indian Government is taking no chances, with Sikh militants using the Kutch border to cross over into Pakistan; the police are cracking down hard. Their first target a medieval gurdwara near the Lakhpat Fort. The Indian Intelligences suspect it is a potential trouble spot. With the Kutch police recently busting an espionage racket and arresting four persons including a Pakistani national. Junas Dosal, their suspicions have gained ground. In the last two months the police have also seized over 120 unlicensed weapons from people on the border .A tussle is on for possession of the gurdwara-regarded as one of GuruNanaks first seats. The contenders: some members of the Udhasi select which has looked after the shrine for over 400 years, the state government, and the local Sikhs a long with Sikh officers from the military base at Bhuj. Says Kutch police Chief P.K Jha: “It in everybody interest that the Government take over its possession. It’s a potential trial trouble-spot.” Moreover, the 250-odd Sikh families settled on the border live under the shadow of suspicion. Last year, militants Resham Singh and Balwant Singh “admitted” to crossing over to Pakistan from the Kutch border. As they were sheltered by a local Sikh farmer, the Sikhs are trying to allay any fears. The Government may have Says Harnam Singh Digwa, president of Bhuj’s Sri Guru Nanak Singh Sabha. “The government’s apprehensions, about the gurdwaras misuse are misplaced”. The police are battling the locals for control of the disputed gurdwara, despite Digwa’s “the disputed gurdwara, despite Digwa’s assurance that they “ensure it doesn’t become a base for questionable elements coat Punjab”. (From an India Today re- port)
It is reported that some Sikhs met the Nawab of Junagadh in London with an “offer to buy some of his land so as to have access to the sea. The infamous Indian intelligence agency. RAW allegedly got wind of this. The Hindu govt then set in motion a plan terrorizes is out of Gujarat state.-Editor.
Article extracted from this publication >> November 15, 1991
