Punjab hurtles down the path towards more serious sectarian violence while the civic administration has claimed for itself the vantage position of a bystander. The self-projection of the leader of Dera Sacha Sauda as the maker and distributor of ambrosia in the attire of a Sikh guru in an advertisement has caused much resentment among the Sikhs and led to ugly clashes with followers of the sect. The violence has left a few dead. Tempers are now so raised that the head priest of the Akal Takht has been attacked for preaching moderation and the Sikh clergy has ruled for nothing less than an unconditional apology from the Dera Sacha Sauda chief. There are also demands that the sect shut down its centres in the state. Since Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who commands the loyalty of thousands of followers throughout the country and wields sufficient political muscle, is in no mood to oblige, tensions are bound to escalate. That is, unless, of course, the rule of the law is firmly established.

For the chief minister of Punjab, Parkash Singh Badal, who has requested for more police presence to the Centre, the task is unlikely to be simple. That is because Mr Singh has already compromised his position. He did this first by condemning the ‘mischief’ of the Dera leader in no uncertain terms, thereby lending more weight to his religious than his civic duties. And then he followed it up by not objecting to the withdrawal of security provided to the leader of the sect. Coming from the chief minister of the state, both are signal actions that may have, and may continue to, set the tone for the spiritual confrontation. There can be little arguing over the fact that the investigations into the criminal charges against the Dera leader need to be carried out. But there is no reason why the administration has to wait for his political influence to diminish for that to be done. If godmen are such larger-than-life figures today, it is because men like Mr Singh and his predecessor, Amarinder Singh, take full advantage of their political potential.