The cold-blooded murder of Baba Gurbachan Singh, head of the Nirankari religious sect, is an extremely ominous development. It has sent a wave of shock among millions of people, especially among his followers in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and elsewhere in the country and they cannot be blamed if they are angry over the failure of the Delhi police to protect him. There was an attempt on his life and one of his followers was shot dead in Madhya Pradesh only last month. As such the police authorities should have been vigilant which they obviously were not. But however great the grief of his devotees and however strong their sense of grievance, they owe to themselves and the country not to rush to conclusions regarding the motives behind the crime. They will be sorely tempted to do so in view of the history of strained relations between them and the Akalis, especially in recent years, and their complaints against the treatment meted out to them by the former predominantly Akali government in Punjab. But they should resist this temptation. Indeed, they should do all they can to ensure that the murder of their chief does not lead to a far greater tragedy – a long-term aggravation of the misunderstanding and tension between them and the Akalis. The Nirankaris have an excellent record of keeping the peace in the face of grave provocations. They must not spoil it.
So long as the Delhi police is not able to nab the assassins, it is patently unfair for anyone to speculate on their identity and motives. For all that we know it may turn out that the murderers are private individuals who had a personal grudge against Baba Gurcharan Singh. They may not even be Sikhs. But even if they are, it does not follow that any Sikh organisation is involved in the ghastly episode. Unfortunately, we lend not to draw such distinctions, though it is important to do so. Some of us continue to blame the RSS for Gandhiji’s murder just because Godse was a Brahmin. Some organizations have a lunatic fringe. These fanatics are often highly disturbed individuals, some of whom might indulge in mad acts such as Gandhiji’s assassination. An organisation, much less a community, cannot justly be blamed for them. It is particularly important to remember all this at this time when the country is passing through a very difficult phase.