The splinter group of Taruna Dal, a Nihang organisation headed by controversial Ajit Singh Poohla, who died at PGI in Chandigarh today morning of burn injuries, faces an uncertain future in the absence of any successor.

Poohla, who had built a regime of his own with dozens of gurdwaras and deras brought under his control by force or deceit, had perhaps never imagined that the end would be so sudden and never thought of choosing a successor.

Though insiders do not rule out squabbles and clashes within the group, the influence of Poohla’s group, in fact, had been on a decline in the past about five-six years, with his control over gurdwaras and deras declining.

At many gurdwaras, the management revolted and at others the general

public raised a hue and cry, forcing Poohla to withdraw.

Poohla’s body would be brought to the Baba Bakala Dera, about 45 kms from here, late tonight and would be kept for the general public to pay homage before cremation tomorrow. Poohla’s mother and some relatives are expected to be present, apart from various supporters of his organisation. “There is little likelihood that any of his successors would be announced shortly. It will take some time as there is no clear-cut selection in this regard,” said Ajmer Singh, a Nihang in his team.

Poohla, who escaped death for two decades after being chased by Khalistani terrorists for being a police informer, met his death in the most unsuspecting manner.

It is expected that eight-ten of his close confidants would claim to be his successor and there may even be clashes, but it would be history repeating itself as Poohla himself had revolted against his chief, Baba Bishan Singh, in 1985 and formed his own group.

A good orator, Poohla used to frequently visit other Nihang deras and was always on the lookout for a “useful person”. Poohla’s two-decade-long regime was marked by numerous controversies as he was basically a criminal from Ludhiana who took on the pious gown of the Nihang chief in a dramatic manner. His rise to headship of the Dal was marked by conspiracies, killings, tortures and even deceits. Under him, nobody could leave the dera without his permission and he snubbed all dissenting voices.

Meanwhile, various radical Sikh bodies have said his death was asa gruesome as his life.

“An infamous Nihang and police cat, Poohla killed many innocents. He grabbed land, raped women and committed human rights excesses during the period of militancy and even later. The worst inhuman act he committed was killing four women, all relatives of Balwinder Singh Jattana, a Babbar Khalsa militant, in 1991,” said Dal Khalsa secretary Kanwarpal Singh and SGPC member Karnail Singh Panjoli.

“Despite repeated pleas, the government denied any inquiry into the cold-blooded killings by Poohla, but finally justice was done,” said Kanwarpal.