Children dressed as Lord Krishna at Durgiana Temple on the occasion of the Krishna Janmashtami festival, in Amritsar.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and other Sikh welfare association members during a sit-in protest over the laxity in recovery of the stolen ‘Saroops’ of Guru Granth Sahib, in Patial...
A child dressed as Lord Krishna on the eve of Krishna Janmashtami celebrations, in Amritsar.
A temple is illuminated on the eve of Krishna Janmashtami festival, in Amritsar.
An artist gives final touches to the idols of Hindu deity Krishna ahead of Janmashtami festival, in Amritsar.
BJP activists protest against the state government over the recent hooch tragedy in Punjab, in Amritsar.
Commuters make their way through a flooded street after a heavy rainfall during Unlock 3.0, in Amritsar.
Police personnel attempt to stop SAD workers as they protest against Punjab CM Amarinder Singh's visit to meet families of victims of hooch tragedy, in Tarn Taran district.
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh meets the families of the victims of hooch tragedy that claimed 112 lives, in Tarn Taran about 25 kms from Amritsar.
MP from Sangrur and AAP leader Bhagwant Mann addresses media representatives over Punjab hooch tragedy, at Dhillon hotel in Patiala.
Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha workers raise slogans of 'Jai Shree Ram' (Victory to Lord Ram) as they celebrate the groundbreaking ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, at the Ram T...
Women tie 'rakhis' on the wrists of visually impaired children on the occasion of 'Raksha Bandhan' festival, at Institute For The Blind in Amritsar.
A man undergoes treatment after allegedly drinking spurious liquor, at Civil Hospital in Tarn Taran district.
People carry the mortal remains of a victim who died in a hooch tragedy, at Civil Hospital in Tarn Taran district. The death toll in the Punjab hooch tragedy rose to 98 on Sunday w...
A man with his children poses for a photograph after offering namaz on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, at Jama Masjid in Amritsar
A young woman shows a 'rakhi' after purchasing, ahead of Raksha Bandhan festival, in Amritsar.
Students of Khalsa College dressed in traditional attire swing during Teej Festival celebrations, after the restrictions were eased during COVID-19 lockdown, in Amritsar.
Bharatiya Kisan Union members stage a dharna demanding withdrawal of some notifications regarding the changes in procurement of crops, outside the local office of Union Harsimrat K...
A medic collects a sample from a woman for COVID-19 test at Civil Hospital, during Unlock 2.0, in Amritsar.
A policeman pushes his bike through a waterlogged street after heavy rain, in Bathinda.
What is the genesis of recent violence in Punjab and Haryana? Is it true that it all began in a Gurudwara (a Sikh temple) in Vienna?
Technically, the attack in Vienna was not in a gurudwara, but in a Gurdehera -- also commonly called a dera -- of the Dera Sachkand, a Ravidasi organisation. This is a new Ravidasi temple that has only recently been set-up on Rudolphsheim Street which also houses the only Gurudwara in the Austrian capital, which is said to be controlled by radicals loyal to Khalistan.
It is being suggested in some press versions, as in this Hindustan Times report, that "at the centre of the conflagration is a battle for the control of cash-rich overseas gurdwaras and an assertion of religious identity by Dalits who form roughly 29 per cent of Punjab’s three crore population. The new Ravidasi place of worship apparently took away a chunk of the offerings and the "tensions came to a head when visiting sect head Sant Niranjan Das was allegedly attacked by pro-Khalistani Sikhs" on Sunday, May 24. While Sant Niranjan Das, the sect-head, was injured, his second-in-command, Sant Ramanand, was fatally injured in the attack and the news of the latter's death on Monday ratcheted up the already inflamed passions of the Dera followers in Punjab and Haryana.
The ostensible reason for the attack in Vienna is said to be the alleged disrespect shown by the Dera leaders to the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy book. But intelligence agencies are probing the possibilities of a larger conspiracy to stir up trouble between the Ravidasis and the Sikhs in India.
What exactly is Dera Sachkhand?...
