Accusing the state government’s alleged move to not allow cinemas to screen Dera head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh‘s movie ‘MSG 2’, Followers of Dera Sacha Sauda protested against the SAD-BJP government attacked an Akali activist and some Amritdhari Sikh women traveling in a swift car at Lohara bye-pass on the Amritsar road on the outskirts of the Moga city on Saturday evening.
The godman’s followers have accused the Punjab government of playing a “double game”, saying while no official ban was imposed on the film in the state, the district administrations had been asked to press cinema owners not to screen it.
Several followers also blocked highways and railway tracks in the state. The train on route Ludhiana-Moga-Ferozepur was stooped after the followers blocked the track. They also blocked the Malout-Bathinda highway on the outskirts of Gidderbaha town. The Mansa-Sirsa road near Nangal Khurd village was also blocked by the followers.
They shouted slogans against the government and demanded the movie be screened in the state.
Security outside the Orbit Multiplex in Moga was beefed up to avoid tension. The film was released on Friday.
However, the followers later lifted the protest claiming that the government has assured them the movie would run in cinemas from Sunday.
DSP Mansa Rupinder Bhardwaj said: “The dharna has been lifted by the protestors.“
Gidderbaha MLA-cum-Indian Youth Congress (IYC) chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring also come out in support of the followers.
He said: “The state government should focus on social issues like female foeticide, drugs, problems being faced by farmers rather than on the movie. The movie is aimed to weed out social evils from the society.”
He, however, said that these views were expressed by him in his personal capacity and not on the behalf of the party.
Muktsar SP Narinderpal Singh Sidhu said they had not banned the film. He said they were planning to screen the film, but the owners later decided not to run it.
Earlier, the Punjab government had banned the screening of “MSG” in the state in January following reports that it could lead to tension.