Sikh radicals on Tuesday convened a Sarbat Khalsa (congregation of Sikh community) outside Amritsar and appointed Jagtar Singh Hawara, convicted in the Beant Singh assassination case, as jathedar of Akal Takht. As Hawara is in jail, Dhian Singh Mand was appointed “officiating Akal Takht jathedar”.
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“These resolutions are a part of a deep-rooted conspiracy to disturb the hard earned atmosphere of peace and communal harmony in Punjab and to push the Sikhs and the whole of Punjab back into the dark era of bloodshed, murder and mayhem”, the Akali Dal resolution said, adding that the party will “expose this conspiracy”.
“The Akali Dal rejects the attempts by these desperate elements to snatch from the Sikh masses to appoint their jathedars to the sacred Takhat Sahiban, including the Sri Akal Takht Sahib”.
In an late night swoop on Tuesday, Punjab Police arrested radical Sikh leaders from in and around Amritsar to prevent a religious showdown at the Golden Temple complex. Arguing that “Sarbat Khalsa” was called to discuss the religious issues, the BJP president said Congress leaders Amarinder Singh and Pratap Singh Bajwa had been consistently saying for the past few days that “Sarbat Khalsa” was a religious affair and Congress being a secular party has nothing to do with it. But now they should come out and clarify their so called secular credentials, they said.
“These leaders have been taken into preventive custody”, said Jatinder Aulakh, Amritsar Police Commissioner, adding that the situation in Amritsar was peaceful.
The police also took into preventive custody Amrik Singh Ajnala of Damdami Taksal and Baljit Singh Daduwal of United Akali Dal (UAD) who were “appointed” as head priests of Takht Kesgarh Sahib and Takht Damdama Sahib respectively. Police was unable to trace Mand as he has gone into hiding.
Though the jathedar revoked the pardon amid protests from the Sikh community, the hardliners have been demanding that he and two other Takht heads, appointed by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), be removed. The protesters raised slogans for half an hour against SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal besides the jathedar.
Speaking on the incidents of sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib, Gurbachan said that the state government must ensure round the clock surveillance of Sikh shrines.
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The Sarbat Khalsa was organised at Chabba village, about 10km from the holy city, to “free” Sikh institutions from political influence.
