Shots fired over taking control of Sirsa’s Dera Jagmalwali as head passes away

Anil Kakkar

Sirsa, August 1
Hours after the demise of Dera Jagmalwali head Bahadur Chand Vakil and even before his cremation could take place, violence broke out at the socio-religious organisation’s premises here on Thursday evening over taking its control.
The dera chief passed away in the morning at a private hospital in Delhi and his body was taken to the dera for cremation. However, the situation turned tense when two factions fought over the timing of the cremation, with one group wanting it performed at the earliest.
The verbal spat soon turned into a violent clash, with firing being exchanged between the rival groups. Sources said the dera resembled a battleground and there was a free for all till the police arrived. One of the shooters was detained while others fled.
Sources said a few dera followers, including Virendra Singh, Balkour Singh, Shamsher Lahri and Nandlal Grover, were in a hurry to cremate Bahadur Chand Vakil. This led to suspicion in the other faction that an attempt was being made to take over the dera. A few followers alleged that the dera chief had died three days ago, but the news was kept a secret due to a conspiracy.
The announcement of the death was made at 9.55 am and the cremation was scheduled within five minutes at 10 am, which led to resentment. Some followers insisted that such a revered leader deserved a more respectful funeral, following which the cremation was postponed to 1 pm on Friday.
A police spokesperson said no FIR had been registered. Reports also suggested that ADGP M Ravi Kiran was expected to intervene in the matter. Superintendent of Police Deepti Garg has been monitoring the situation.
As soon as people received the news of Bahadur Chand Vakil’s death, there was a rush to reach the dera. People from various political parties too arrived to pay their last respects. Among others, Ashok Tanwar of the BJP and MP Kumari Selja expressed their condolences and are likely to attend the cremation tomorrow. Chand Mahatma, head of Khushpur Dham Dera at Goriwala village, alleged that the dera chief was not provided adequate medical care. He demanded a CBI probe to determine the exact timing of the death and also called for administrative control of the dera.
Bahadur Chand Vakil had been ill for the past year and was undergoing treatment in Delhi. The annual event at the dera, scheduled for August 3-4, has been cancelled. On July 31, the dera management had told the followers that Vakil’s health was stable and requested them to avoid hospital visits.
Born on December 10, 1944, at Chautala village, the dera chief completed his early education in his native place and later studied at Dayanand College in Hisar. He graduated from Chandigarh Law College in 1968 and joined Dera Jagmalwali the same year. He was appointed its head on August 9, 1998.