Punjab burns as sect leader dies in Vienna

Several parts of Punjab continued to be on the boil on Monday with trains burnt and key highways blocked as violence by followers of the Dera Sachh Khand opposing the attack on sect leaders in the Austrian capital Vienna spread and brought the state to a standstillArmed with sticks swords bricks and stones sect followers came out in large numbers in Punjabs Doaba belt and tension spread in Jalandhar Phagwara Hoshiarpur and Nawanshahr townsCurfew was imposed by the district authorities in Hoshiarpur town 150 km from Chandigarh following violence by members of the sect who are from the Dalit Sikh community and followers of Guru Ravidass as news came in of a top leader dying of his injuries following a clash in a Vienna gurdwara SundayProtests also spread to neighbouring Haryana where sect followers blocked with trees the ChandigarhDelhi National Highway No 1 near Kingfisher resort and squatted on the roadAngry crowds continued to hold several areas in Jalandhar district to ransom despite curfew being imposed in the entire district Sunday nightTrain bogies were torched at the Jalandhar Cantonment station a key highway blocked and vehicles and shops set afire No police personnel were present on the spot when the protesters torched railway property Trains were also attacked in Phagwara town 20 km from JalandharSect leader Sant Rama Nand 57 the secondincommand died in a hospital in the Austrian capital Vienna following an armed attack involving rival Sikh groups at a gurdwara the previous day The attack also left at least 16 people injuredThe condition of the sect head Sant Niranjan Dass 68 who was the second guest guru speaking at the Vienna gurdwara was stable after undergoing emergency surgery doctors there saidThe violence that had begun with news of the attack on Sunday reignited with Sant Rama Nands deathPunjab Police and district authorities remained mute spectators at several points where the protesters resorted to violence At the Amritsar bus stand just a handful of policemen were present when youth damaged state transport and private buses and other vehiclesThere were reports that even vehicles of police officials were targeted by mobs in this cityOther towns also remained tense after a night of violence Most areas in the state came to a standstill as shops and other commercial establishments did not open on Monday morning fearing violence from the sect protestersProtests and violence were also reported from Patiala Ludhiana and Bathinda with government and private property being damagedRoad and railway traffic was severely affected in Jalandhar district and adjoining areas Protesters blocked National Highway NH No 1 between Jalandhar and Phagwara at several places Railway traffic on this busy route between Delhi and Jammu was also crippledThe Dera Sachh Khand sect has considerable following among Dalit Sikhs across Punjab especially in the Doaba belt between rivers Sutlej and BeasThe ruling Akali Dal in Punjab has called for a shutdown across the state to protest the Vienna incident