A Covid vaccination centre wears a deserted look amidst shortage of covid-19 vaccines at Civil Hospital in Amritsar.
A worker clears water from the cover over a pile of wheat grain after rainfall in Amritsar.
Workers cover a pile of wheat grain with a plastic sheet during a rainy day, at Grain Market in Amritsar.
Devotees offer prayers at a temple during 'Ashtami Poojan' of 'Navratri Festival', in Amritsar.
Farmers shout slogans as they take part in a protest against the central government's recent agricultural reforms on the outskirts of Amritsar.
People offer prayers, on the first Friday of Ramadan month at the Khairuddin Mosque, amid the ongoing spike in COVID-19 cases, in Amritsar.
People, not adhering to COVID-19 norms, walk at the Heritage Street near Golden Temple, amid a countrywide spike in coronavirus caes, in Amritsar.
A police officer takes commuters, who were not wearing face masks, for a COVID-19 test in Amritsar.
Youngsters in traditional attire dance on the eve of Baisakhi festival in Amritsar.
Sikh devotees chant religious slogans as they leave for Pakistan to take part in Baisakhi festival, in Amritsar.
A protestor jumps into the Bhakra Canal during a demonstration by unemployed TET-pass BEd teachers against the Punjab Government, demading employment in Patiala.
Police detain members of the unemployed BEd teacher's Sanjha morcha Punjab during a protest against the Punjab Government in support of their demands for jobs near the residence of...
Migrants board a train to leave for their home states, amid rise in Covid-19 cases across the country, at Jalandhar City railway station.
Nearly deserted market during a night curfew, amidst spike in coronavirus cases, in Amritsar.
BJP Mahila Morcha activists during a protest against Punjab Government, in Amritsar.
A woman cultivates Calendula flowers in a field on the outskirts of Amritsar. Besides being used in decorations and religious offerings, the Calendula flower also has medicinal pro...
A cavalcade moves towards Banda Jail to transport gangster-turned politician Mukhtar Ansari from Punjab to Uttar Pradesh jail, in Rupnagar district.
An ambulance enters the Police Lines Rupnagar as part of arrangements for the shifting of gangster-turned politician Mukhtar Ansari from Punjab to Uttar Pradesh jail, in Ropar.
Police personnel distribute mask during an awareness campaign against the spread of the coronavirus, in Amritsar.
Farmers protest outside Food Corporation of India (FCI) office in Amritsar.
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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?...
