Panel formed to oversee SAD reorganisation to launch own outfit on Aug 11

A former Akali MLA said, “We have asked Jathedar to not allow the faction to use the name of Sri Akal Takht Sahib. It was seven-member committee that was formed on December 2 last year from the Akal Takht Sahib. Two members of that committee — Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami and former president Kirpal Singh Bandungar — had resigned from the committee reducing it to five members.”

“Besides, the committee was supposed to report back to Akal Takht Sahib within six months. But now seven months have already elapsed and committee has not reported to the Akal Takht Sahib. Now, this committee is a group of ambitious politicians who are misusing the name of Sri Akal Takht Sahib. They shouldn’t be allowed to fool the people by using name of Sri Akal Takht Sahib,” he said.

Sources said that the Sikh clergy can consider this argument of the Akali Dal against the five-member committee during its August 6 meeting.

Meanwhile, the five-member committee has sent a letter to the SGPC seeking permission to hold a meeting on August 11 at Teja Singh Samundri Hall. To avoid the controversy, SGPC has forwarded the permission-related letter to the Akal Takht.

In the letter, all five members of the Akali Dal recruitment committee — Manpreet Singh Ayali, Gurpratap Singh Wadala, Santa Singh Umaidpur, Iqbal Singh Jhunda, and Bibi Satwant Kaur — said that the recruitment process has been completed following the directives of the Akal Takht. A general assembly is being convened on August 11 to elect a new president. The committee wishes to hold this assembly at the SGPC office, Teja Singh Samundri Hall.

SGPC member Kulwant Singh Mannan confirmed that a letter had been sent by the recruitment committee.

Akal Takht summons Bains on Aug 6

The Akal Takht Monday asked Punjab Cabinet Minister Harjot Singh Bains to appear before the five Singh Sahiban (high priests) on August 6 for allegedly “hurting Sikh sentiments”.

Bains has been summoned for organising “entertainment performances” at a programme held in Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar to mark the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur.

A meeting of the five ‘Singh Sahiban’ will be convened at the Akal Takht Sahib Secretariat in Amritsar on August 6 under the leadership of the Jathedar Gargajj to deliberate on various ‘Panthic’ and religious matters, said a statement.

Bagicha Singh, in-charge of the Akal Takht Secretariat, stated that an e-mail has been sent to Bains, summoning him to appear before the five Singh Sahiban. He added that Jaswant Singh, director of the language department, Punjab, will be summoned at a later date as he has gone abroad until August 12 for a relative’s wedding.

Earlier, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) had taken strong objection to the “entertainment performances” involving singing and dancing at the event organised by the Punjab government’s language department in Srinagar last month to commemorate the martyrdom anniversary of ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Teg Bahadur.

The SGPC had condemned the performances, calling it a direct affront to Sikh religious values.

Education Minister Bains had earlier said that he would appear before the Akal Takht and would be bound to obey every order while accepting his moral responsibility.

Bains had said that he, as a Sikh cabinet minister, seeks forgiveness for whatever happened due to negligence of the organisers, knowingly or unknowingly, at the event.