SAD rebels apologise at Akal Takht Sahib, blame Sukhbir Badal for decisions that harmed party

The rebel group mentioned some of these incidents, including the pardoning of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim for wearing attire similar to that worn by Guru Gobind Singh, the 2015 Sri Guru Granth Sahib sacrilege issue, the 2015 Behbal Kalan firing, and the appointments of police officers.

The SAD is currently divided into two factions, with one still supporting Sukhbir Singh Badal, and the other demanding his resignation. The SAD suffered a major setback in Lok Sabha Elections 2024, only winning one seat in Bathinda, where Harsimrat Kaur Badal emerged victorious. The party was unable to secure victory in any other constituency.

The rebel leaders stated they were ready to face any punishment that the Akal Takht Sahib deemed appropriate since they were also part of the government but failed to stop the leadership’s wrong decisions.

“During the government of Shiromani Akali Dal from 2007 to 2017, several incidents occurred that led to a large section of the Sikh Panth and the people of Punjab becoming disillusioned with the leadership of Shiromani Akali Dal. Consequently, Shiromani Akali Dal has faced failures in the religious sphere and also experienced political alienation,” the rebel group said in the letter.

It added, “In 2007, at Salabatpura, the chief of Dera Sacha Sauda, Gurmeet Ram Rahim, mimicked the Tenth Guru, Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, by dressing similarly and performing a ceremony. This led to a police case, but the Shiromani Akali Dal government later withdrew the case. In response to this incident, the Akal Takht Sahib had excommunicated the Dera chief. However, Sukhbir Singh Badal used his influence to get the Dera chief pardoned.”

The SGPC spent around Rs 90 lakh on advertisements to defend its decision, but due to strong opposition from the Sikh Panth, the leadership of the SAD and the SGPC ultimately had to reverse it, the rebels said.

“Then home minister Sukhbir Singh Badal was neither able to conduct a timely and proper investigation nor could successfully punish the culprits in 2015 sacrilege cases. This led to painful incidents in Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan. The Shiromani Akali Dal government was also unable to hold responsible officials accountable for these incidents,” said the rebels.

“During this period, the Shiromani Akali Dal government made another major mistake by appointing an officer who was notorious for fake police encounters resulting in the martyrdom of Sikh youths as the Punjab Police chief, giving a ticket to the wife of another such officer who had formed the Alam Sena to carry out killings, and making her a chief parliamentary secretary. Unlike previous Akali governments, the Akali government formed in 2012 failed to conduct an impartial investigation into fake police encounters and provide relief to the victims despite promises made to the people,” read the letter.

Seeking forgiveness, they said, “We acknowledge that during all these events, we were also part of the leadership of Shiromani Akali Dal. We also accept that we failed to prevent the wrong decisions of the leadership, although we repeatedly raised these painful issues within the party. We urged the senior leadership of the party to present themselves before Sri Akal Takht Sahib to repent for these mistakes according to Gurmat Maryada and seek forgiveness, but the senior leadership did not agree.”

“Due to the persistence of the leadership of Shiromani Akali Dal at that time, we deeply regret these mistakes and feel their burden on our minds. Therefore, we present ourselves before you and humbly seek forgiveness in writing for these mistakes. We are ready to sincerely and humbly accept any punishment given by Sri Akal Takht Sahib so that we may be relieved of the burden on our souls,” they added.

Earlier in the day, the rebel leaders, including Prem Singh Chandu Majra and Gurpartap Singh Wadala, also reached Khadoor Sahib MP-elect Amritpal Singh’s home in the Jallukhera village of Amritsar and met his parents. Radical preacher Amritpal is yet to take the oath as MP as he is in jail in Assam, detained under the National Security Act.