SGPC seeks countrywide ban on ‘Nanak Shah Fakir’

Tribune News Service

Amritsar/Jalandhar, April 15

Hailing the state government move to suspend the screening of controversial movie, ‘Nanak Shah Fakir’, the Akal Takht and the SGPC today demanded that the Central government should also ban the movie.

Talking to The Tribune, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh and SGPC Chief Avtar Singh Makkar said, “The state government has taken the right decision in view of the Sikh sentiments.” Makkar said the release of the controversial movie could disturb the atmosphere in the state as the filmmaker had shown Guru Nanak Dev in human form in clear violation of the Sikh tenets. He said they had already written to the Prime Minister, seeking a complete ban on the movie across the country. The Akal Takht Jathedar said they had asked the filmmaker to remove the “objectionable scenes”, but he was adamant on his stand. He said the state government had taken the right decision at the right time.

Meanwhile, the Akali Dal’s local unit has decided to take out a protest march on April 17 to stop the screening of the film in other states as well.

The Dal Khalsa along with other Sikh bodies, including the Damdami Taksal, SAD (Panch Pardhani), Panthak Talmel Committee, United Akali Dal and the Khalsa Panchayat, today in a meeting urged the Union Government to ban the controversial film, “Nanak Shah Fakir” immediately on the lines of the Punjab Government.

Dal Khalsa spokesperson Kanwar Pal Singh said the party had approached the Chief Ministers of neighbouring states, including Delhi, Haryana and HP, through Sikh MLAs and gurdwara managements to urge their respective governments to ban the film.

Kanwar said if the government in neighbouring states failed to ban the film, the party would announce their future course of action by tomorrow evening. The message is being conveyed to the Sikh population in other states via social media.

Commenting on the decision of the Punjab Government suspending the screening of the film in the state, Kanwar said, “Better sense seems to have been prevailed on the government as it has suspended the screening of the film in the state. Prior to this, the state government had adopted an insensitive and indifferent attitude towards the issue, despite of the fact that Deputy CMSukhbir Singh Badal was insisted to ban the film.”