This story is from September 6, 2017

Officials took 4 days to react to complaint against Dera during Punjab polls

Officials took 4 days to react to complaint against Dera during Punjab polls
Gurmeet Ram Raheem Singh.
JALANDHAR: If political parties and several candidates of Malwa region bent over backwards to woo Sirsa Dera polls and an open diktat was also issued by the Dera management to its followers to support SAD-BJP in February 2017 assembly election, the official machinery in Punjab, which was then working under election Commission, took four days to react to a complaint requesting it to stop Dera from issuing any appeal as it would be in violation of Representation of Peoples Act.
ECI officials reacted when voting was already over and a diktat was openly issued before that.
Nawanshahr based activist Parvinder Singh Kitna had sent a representation to Election Commission of India (ECI), Chief Electoral Officer Punjab and DC Bathinda on January 31 last urging them to immediately stop the Dera from making any appeal to its followers while holding that it would be violation of Representation of Peoples Act as well as against the spirit of a recent Supreme Court judgement that it was illegal to seek votes in the name of religion, caste, race, community or language.
However official machinery took four days to react to the complaint and in the evening of February 4, when polling was already over, Deputy Commissioner cum District Electoral Officer Bathinda’s office sought “any proofs about it”. Notably by that time Dera had already issued a diktat and it was widely reported.
“There was no response from ECI, CEO Punjab or DEO for four days and it was only in the evening of February 4 when the polling was already over that I received a call from office of DC Bathinda asking to send proofs of any such appeal and then also received a mail asking to send the proofs of any appeal by the Dera,” Kitna told TOI.
“I had sent the representation even before a diktat was issued by the Dera but the EC machinery failed to react during all this time,” he said.
In his representation to the ECI, CEO and DC, Kitna wrote “as per news reports appeared in various newspapers the political wing of Dera Sacha Sauda is going to appeal its followers to vote and support a particular political party in Punjab Vidhan Sabha Elections. Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Raheem Singh said that the decision would be taken shortly. It may be noted that the candidates of various political parties visited this Dera seeking votes of its followers.” “The appeal of this ‘dera’ will be violating provisions of clause 123, 2 (II) of The Representation of People act 1951”, he argued while reproducing the provisions. He also cited from the official website of ECI which prohibited any appeal by any religious or spiritual leader to its followers.

“The dera should be stopped immediately from announcing such decision. As Election Commission is acting tough against candidates and even getting cases registered wherever they have indulged in violation of model code or RPA 1951, in this case also EC should take immediate action. Kindly stop Dera people or book them for doing such acts,” his representation read.
“After the “proof” was demanded on February 4 late evening, I sent them a news clippings but never heard that what happened to my complaint. Later it was reported by media that the complaint was closed as there was no evidence after which I sent another complaint to CEO Punjab on February 9 along with a video clip seeking high level probe into the issue and demanded appropriate action. Later in the information procured through RTI Act from CEO Punjab revealed on February 28, it was stated that the action was still being taken on the pertinent “complaint” and later I never heard about any action,” Kitna said while providing the copies of communiqués he sent and received in this regard.
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