Wednesday 17 September 2008

Controversial Punjabi columnist Darbara Singh Seona Shot dead


darbara-seona
Patiala: Controversial Punjabi columnist Darbara Singh Seona, general secretary of Shiromani Akali Dal (International) and Punjabi columnist was shot dead by unidentified two motorcyclists here on Friday evening. Earlier the writer had said that "the status of Guru was not bestowed on the Guru Granth Sahib by the tenth master but to the Panth."

Police sources said that the incident occurred when he was coming back to his home on Kinetic near his house in Sant Nagar area on Rajbaha road around 7.30 pm. Two persons on motorcycle fired three shots from behind. The assailants fled immediately from the scene. Seona immediately brought to local Rajindra Hospital and doctors declared him brought dead.

SSP SK Asthana has confirmed the shooting incident and said that he has been gathering the information about the incident.

Darbara Singh Seona who writes for Punjabi vernacular newspaper 'Rozana Spkesman' was confronted by Damdami Taksal on May 25 this year in Amritsar. Damdami Taksal sought publicly apology for his write-up wherein he has allegedly published some controversial remarks over the Sikh history and Sikh Holy Scripture, Guru Granth Sahib. But Darbara Singh in plain language declined the hardliners for apology and refused to take back his comments given in his articles.

In his article, Seona refers to the tradition of giving satkar to Guru Granth Sahib Ji's saroops by presenting rumallay as a Brahmanical ritual, implying that Guru Granth Sahib Ji's saroop is a mere book and should not be treated as 'Pargat-Guraa-Ki-Deh'. The same ideology was forwarded by Kala Afghana, who was later excommunicated for belittling Sikh traditions and Gurmat values.

Atinder Pal Singh, the President of International Akali Dal to whom the writer owed allegiance, has disowned the writings of his party person. He has said that "Guruship was bestowed on Guru Granth Sahib and the interpreting and implementing authority was Guru Panth." Simranjit Singh Mann has sought the arrest of the writer and also of Joginder Singh, the editor of Spokesman. He has urged the Badal government to take stringent actions against the paper. His party, the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) has filed numerous complaints against the daily at various places in Punjab.