A major clash has broken out between Sikh groups in India following the murder of a Sikh preacher, Dera Sachh Khand leader Sant Ram Nand (56), in Vienna. Four trains have been set on fire and several Indian towns in Punjab and Haryana have witnessed violence and damage to property by rioters.
(Meanwhile reports from London say that a Sikh temple there has been set on fire. Is it an accident or arson? See video here…)
In India “one person was killed and four others were injured as Army jawans opened fire in Lambra village, 30 kms from Jalandhar,” reports CNN-IBN. “Another person was killed after the police opened fire on protesters at Jalandhar Cantonment railway station.
“A mob set three bogies of the Kanyakumari-Jammu Tavi Express on fire as the train was passing through Phagwara in Punjab. Some vehicles, too, have been torched and roads blocked by protestors in Phagwara.
“Delhi-Lahore bus service has been stopped at Ludhiana as a precautionary measure in the wake of violence in Punjab.
“Curfew has been imposed in Phagwara, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Hoshiarpur following the violence in the area. Paramilitary forces have been sent to Phagwara to control violence.
“Chandigarh (capital of the states of Punjab and Haryana) is also on high alert with important roads leading to the city have been blocked.” More here…
The BBC reports: “Guru Sant Ramanand was attacked on Sunday in Vienna – during clashes at a religious ceremony – by six men armed with knives and a pistol. He succumbed to his wounds in hospital early Monday.
“Another preacher Sant Nirajnan Das, who was among 15 other people injured, is said to be stable.
“Both the preachers were from a low-caste Sikh sect which has a large following in parts of Punjab and had travelled to Vienna to conduct a special service.” More here…
For some reactions to this violent episode, please click here…
(Photo above shows train set on fire at Jalandhar — NDTV/AFP)
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.