Framed? The controversial picture of G.S. Tohra with NirankarisChandigarh:For the first time, the Sikh clergy may have to rely upon some professional lensmen to enable them to pronounce an edict in a religious row.The controversy over SGPC President G.S. Tohra's alleged violation of a 1978 edict of the Akal Takht calling on the Sikhs to boycott the Nirankaris has now boiled down to a photograph showing the Akali leader in the company of leaders of the "ostracised" sect.On May 23, senior Congress leader and long-time Tohra-baiter Captain Amarinder Singh sprang a surprise by submitting to the clergy a photograph which he claimed was "conclusive evidence" of the Tohra-Nirankari meeting during the February Lok Sabha elections. Instead, the photo-graph has created another controversy with Tohra's supporters alleging it was a fake, fabricated by superimposing two pictures. But for Akali MP Prem Singh Chandumajra, who threatened to slap a defamation case against Amarinder, the protests were muted, leading the SGPC chief to drop hints recently that the campaign against him was part of a conspiracy within the Akali Dal. With by-elections to the Tarn Taran Lok Sabha constituency scheduled for June 3, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal moved quickly to dispel such impressions by announcing that his party would sue Amarinder for defaming the SGPC chief.Published By: AtMigration Published On: Jun 8, 1998--- ENDS ---
