NEW DELHI: A religious sect has apologised for advertisments showing its leader dressed as a revered Sikh guru, which triggered violence in India's Punjab state, reports said Monday.

The Dera Sacha Sauda sect offered the apology at Sirsa, the group's headquarters in the northern state of Haryana, the Tribune newspaper said.

The multi-faith organisation claims to have millions of Hindu, Muslim, Christian and Sikh followers.

The brief statement noted that in the “best interest of peace and tranquillity, the Dera tenders an apology to Guru Gobind Singh,” the Press Trust of India news agency said.

“We also pray for maintaining peace and brotherhood in Punjab, Haryana, within the country and abroad,” the statement added.

The sect's leader, Gurmit Ram Raheem Singh, appeared in an newspaper advert as Guru Gobind Singh, one of 10 revered saints in the religion, and was pictured offering holy water to the faithful.

Some news reports said the carefully worded apology by the sect may not mollify the Akal Takht, which is scheduled to meet in Amritsar on Tuesday to review the issue.—AFP