Ropar, December 30: Controversial dera head Baba Piara Singh Bhaniara Wala died at his dera in Dhamana village near here on Monday. He was 61.
Bhaniara Wala felt pain in his chest in the wee hours of Monday after which he was taken to a private hospital in Mohali. Doctors declared him brought dead.
Controversial innings
Bhaniara Wala came from a humble background as his father was the care taker of two ‘mazars’. After his death, Bhaniara Wala left his job at the horticulture department, where he worked as a peon and took over the services rendered by his father.
He subsequently proclaimed himself as ‘Baba’. Bhaniara Wala encroached upon a piece of land of the Forest Department and established a dera there. After enlisting political leaders as his followers, the most famous among them former Union Minister Buta Singh, his popularity among the masses grew. Soon, he proclaimed himself to be the incarnate of the Tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh.
His actions evoked the then Jathedar of Akal Takht, Bhai Ranjit Singh to ex-communicate him from the Sikh Panth in 1998. This, however, did not deter his followers. The growing strength of his followers encouraged the Baba and he authored Bhav Sagar Samunder Granth in 2001. This triggered a series of controversies and violence against his followers. They were accused of burning birs of Guru Granth Sahib in Ropar and Fatehgarh Sahib. Bhavsagar Granth was banned and several were arrested for sacrilege.
Bhaniara Wala was booked under the National Security Act and jailed for nine months after his arrest in September 2001.
While he was facing trial at an Ambala court for many such offences, he was stabbed by a youth outside the court on September 24, 2003.
Several attempts were made to assassinate him at his dera following which he was provided tight security.
Bhaniara’s petitions against the ban on his book repeatedly failed to find favour with judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
