New Delhi, India - At least eight people were injured on Tuesday after gunshots were fired in a clash between followers of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect and members of the Sikh community in a village close to this Haryana town.
Trouble at Mallawala village began when Dera followers started their prayers in the open despite a ruling by the district administration not to do so. Some Sikhs objected to Dera followers putting up loudspeakers and chanting their prayers.
Tension exacerbated, leading to both sides clashing and a Dera follower firing from his 12-bore gun. Eight people were injured and taken to a nearby hospital as police reinforcements were rushed to the area.
Similar scenes of violence were witnessed about 10 days ago when a stone-pelting mob of Sikhs attacked the convoy of Dera chief Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh at a village close by.
The sect and the Sikh community have been in confrontational mode since the Dera chief portrayed himself as the 10th Sikh guru Gobind Singh in May this year. This had led to violent protests in Punjab.
The Sikh community gave a call for the complete boycott of Dera followers in Punjab and sought the closure of Dera campuses in the state. Sikh leaders are demanding the arrest of the Dera chief for blasphemy.