Punjab Sikhs Strike In Protest Against Insult to Historic Guru

In the Indian state of Punjab-- the only Indian state whose population is majority Sikh-- schools and businesses are shut down as thousands of Sikhs protest actions of the leader of the Dera Sacha Sauda organization who posed for newspaper ads dressed as a revered 17th century Sikh guru, Gobind Singh. Voice of America today reports that Punjab's political leadership has joined Sikh religious leaders in calling for an apology from Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. Asia News says that yesterday the DSS asked India's President A P J Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to mediate the dispute, while thousands of soldiers and police have been deployed to protect DSS campuses from violence by outraged Sikhs.