Ramanand Dass
Personal
Born(1952-02-02)February 2, 1952
Alawalpur
DiedMay 25, 2009(2009-05-25) (aged 57)
Rudolfsheim, Vienna, Austria
ReligionRavidassia Religion
Other namesHindi: संत रामानंद
Senior posting
Period in office1973-74 to 2009
PostSant
WebsiteGuru Ravidass Ji Website

Sant Ramanand Dass was a leader of Dera Sach Khand, a socio-religious organization founded by followers of Guru Ravidas.[1][2] His name came to international attention when he was murdered by Sikh radicals at the age of 57 in the 24 May 2009 attack on the Guru Ravidass Temple in Austria.[3]

Biography

Ramanand Dass was born on 2 February 1952, and he resided at Dera Sach Khand from 1973 onwards, according to RavidassGuru.com.[4] He was the chief editor of Dera Sach Khand's weekly newspaper, Begumpura Shaher, and he received the 20th National Dalit Literary Award from the Indian Dalit Literary Academy in 2004.[5] He was second in command to Dera Sach Khand's current leader, Niranjan Dass,[1] with whom he traveled abroad.[6]

On 24 May 2009, Ramanand Dass was injured in an attack by six Sikh militants at a temple in Vienna, Austra. He suffered multiple gunshot wounds, and he died in a hospital early the next day.[2] The attack triggered rioting across much of northern India.[7] He was cremated with full state honors on 4 June 2009, at Dera Sach Khand, India.[8][9]

References

  1. ^ a b Singh, Gurharpal (2012). "Religious Transnationalism and Development Initiatives: The Dera Sachkhand Ballan". Economic and Political Weekly. 47 (1): 53–59. ISSN 0012-9976. JSTOR 23065577.
  2. ^ a b "Preacher dies after Vienna clash". BBC News. 25 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-25.
  3. ^ Singh, Pashaura (2014). The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies. Oxford University Press. p. 88. ISBN 9780191004117.
  4. ^ "Amar Shaheed Sant Ramanand Ji". www.ravidassguru.com. Retrieved 2022-09-24.
  5. ^ Ram, Ronki (2008). "Ravidass Deras and Social Protest: Making Sense of Dalit Consciousness in Punjab (India)". The Journal of Asian Studies. 67 (4): 1341–1364. doi:10.1017/S0021911808001800. ISSN 0021-9118. JSTOR 20203488.
  6. ^ Ram, Ronki (2009). "Ravidass, Dera Sachkhand Ballan and the question of Dalit identity in Punjab" (PDF). Journal of Punjab Studies. 16 (1): 12–15, 27.
  7. ^ "Punjab riots after Vienna killing". BBC News. 25 May 2009. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
  8. ^ "Lakhs attend state funeral for Sant Ramanand". The Times of India. 2009-06-05. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  9. ^ "Sant Ramanand cremated amid tight security arrangements". The India Post. 5 June 2009. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
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