Piara Singh Bhaniara

Before becoming a religious leader, Bhaniara was working in a sericulture farm in Asmanpur village, as a Class IV employee of the Punjab state's horticulture department.

[3] Bhaniara's father served as the caretaker of two mazars (mausoleums of Sufi saints) located on the outskirts of Dhamiana.

The visitors to his dera included the Indian National Congress politician Buta Singh, who was India's Home Minister at that time.

[3] Buta Singh visited Bhaniara several times between 1985 and 1995 for healing of his wife Manjit Kaur, who was suffering from several problems of the heart, kidney, skin and lungs.

[3] In 1998, the jathedar of the supreme Sikh religious body Akal Takht ex-communicated Bhaniara, alleging that he was prone to say "nasty" things about Sikhism and its contemporary leaders.

[3] In the summer of 2000, a local gurudwara disallowed one of Bhaniara's followers from carrying the Sikh religious holy book Guru Granth Sahib.

However, Bhaniara rejected the summons, arguing that he had no reason to obey the Akal Takht, because they had excommunicated him three years earlier.

The Punjab Police arrested and presented before media some young men, who stated that they had burned Guru Granth Sahib at the insistence of Bhaniara.