Baba Piara Singh Bhaniarawala

From SikhiWiki
Revision as of 10:52, 19 June 2007 by Paapi (talk | contribs) (New page: '''Baba Piara Singh Bhaniara''' (born in 1958) is the spiritual of a breakaway Sikh sect based in Dhamiana village in Ropar, Punjab. He is believed to have about 20,000 to 600,000 follower...)
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Jump to navigationJump to search

Baba Piara Singh Bhaniara (born in 1958) is the spiritual of a breakaway Sikh sect based in Dhamiana village in Ropar, Punjab. He is believed to have about 20,000 to 600,000 followers, the majority of whom are dalits.

He once worked as an employee of the Horticulture Department at a sericulture farm in Asmanpur village. His grew up in a modest family, his father Tulsi Ram, a mason, was a caretaker of two mazaars. After his father’s death, Bhaniara took over the mazaars and proclaimed himself a ‘baba’ (a spiritually advanced person)

The Baba was known a healer and for his social work. He used to leave food for wild animals in the forests. Senior Congress leader Buta Singh had visited the Baba several times between 1985 and 1995 for healing of his wife Manjit Kaur, who was suffering from several problems of heart, kidney, skin and lungs. Buta Singh later disassociated himself from the Baba.

Baba Bhaniara has written a book "Bhavsagar Granth". This has offended the orthodox Sikhs, who complain that the baba is equating himself with the Sikh Gurus. An organization Khalsa Action Committee was formed headed by Mr. Charanjit Singh Channi, which disrupted a religious congregation at the home of one of Baba's followers in Ludhiana in 2001. The Baba's book was snatched and damaged.

Following this, Baba's followers were accused of burning the copies of copies of Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy book. No evidence to support the accusation was found.

The baba was arrested in Oct. 2001. His book was banned by the government, and several copies of it were burned. An agitation was called by several Sikh youth organizations including Dal Khalsa and a building and a center of the baba was demolished. Attempt was made to convert the center into an orthodox Gurdwara.

In 2003, a man named Gopal Singh attempted to stab the baba, when he was Ambala, to appear in the court, in connection with his alleged involvement with the alleged burning of the copies of Guru Granth Sahib.

A member of Babbar Khalsa, Gurdeep Singh Rana is under arrest for trying to assassinate the Baba using a bomb in January 2005.

References

"Buta denies links with Baba Bhaniara", The Tribune, (published from Chandigarh) Oct. 11, 2001.

"22 followers of Bhaniara guru arrested", Tribune, (published from Chandigarh) Oct. 4, 2001.

"Sacrilege: Violence mars Punjab bandh" Indian Express, October 6, 2001

Bhaniara injured in knife attack Times of India, Sept. 25, 2003.

"A godman and a political storm", Frontline, Oct 27, 2001.