Sirsa dera chief’s latest movie – Jattu Engineer – upsets Sikhs

Ferozepur, May 31, 2017: The Sikh character portrayed by Sirsa’s Dera Sacha Saud head Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh in his latest movie – Jattu Engineer – has not gone well with the Sikh community.

The Sirsa-based Sant Ram Rahim, leader of the Dera Sacha Sauda – a socio-spiritual organization – is once again surrounded by controversy. This time it’s because of his new film – Jattu Engineer – for hurting the sentiments of Sikhs by doing a duplicate role of Sikhs.  The character portrayed in the movie was not in accordance with the Sikh traditions.

Jattu Engineer film is based on true story with the pinch of healthy humor without conventional elements of dual meanings. In spite of the fact that the film is a tumultuous saga, a triumph of good over evil, of savage ruthless men, who are taught the righteous path by the pure hearts of children but the guru has again been encircled with the controversy over his role as a role dressed and make-up as Sikh.

Today, various Sikh organizations -Ek Noor Khalsa Fouj led by Lakkbir Singh President, Internatinal Panthak Dal President Baba Satnam Singh Wala, Federation Mehra, Sikh Commission Organisation, Raj Kerega Khalsa Organisations, Suhmani Sewa Society and Sikh Students Federataion (Grewal) submitted a memorandum to the police chief with a warning to take immediate action against the alleged accused otherwise they will be compelled to intensify their agitation.

Speaking the media persons, they said, the dera chief was continuously hurting the sentiment of the Sikhs and it was not in good taste todistort the Sikh image of cheap publicity.

Earlier, another film 'MSG – The Messenger of God' made by the controversial godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim, which was released in 2015, drew strong objections from SGPC and various Sikh organizations. SGPC had also objected to movies depicting Sikhs like 'Singh is King' (2008), 'Son of Sardar' (2010), 'Jo Bole So Nihal' (2005), 'Singh Saab,' 'Nanak Shah Fakir' and 'Flying Jatt'.

The dera guru has played a mockery of Sikh community by arranging performance in the film by duplicate Sikhs besides assembly of followers posing in a Sikh dress, in the cinema halls.

Sant Ram Rahim is among the ten India’s most controversial gururs – Sant Rampal, Asaram Bapu, Swami Nithyananda, Baba Ramdev, Swami Agnivesh, Rajneesh, Chandraswami, Jayendra Saraswati, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, Sathya Sai Baba – over one or the other issue.

The controversies that have surrounded the dera head over the years are  – conflict with Sikhs in May 2007 for warning attire in an advertisement, resembling the tenth Sikh Guru Gobind Sikh, Death of journalist Ram Chander Chhatapati working with newspaper Poora Sach who was shot at on October 24, 2002 for allegedly writing a out the illegal activities going inside the dera, Rape charges when a sadhvi at the dera had accused the baba of rape when related to this case Ranjit Singh was shot in the head on July 10, 2002 allegedly by dera followers in Kurukshetra, Castration of 400 followers to safeguard sadhvis – female full-time followers – from possible sexual advances and keeping illegal weapons at the dera and arms training at the dera.

Dera guru had also been in headlines during the last Assembly elections during February 2017, in Punjab and in a major setback to the Dera Sacha Sauda, many Sikh politicians from Punjab have agreed to face religious punishment on being found guilty by the SGPC of approaching Dera Sacha Sauda to seek votes.

Added here, in 2007, the Akal Takht had issued an edict for Sikhs to boycott Dera Sacha Sauda.