Blockades tell of discontent among youth of small towns, villages
Neeraj Bagga
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, October 27
Road blockades put up by Sikh protesters over incidents of desecration of Guru Granth Sahib at the main entry and exit points of the holy city have exposed the simmering discontent among the youth of small towns and villages, say experts.
While Sikh religious leaders say that anger of the masses was the manifestation of the politicisation of Sikh religious institutes.
Reputed sociologist Dr Paramjit Singh Judge, Dean, Academic Affairs, Guru Nanak Dev University, said the issue of desecration of holy 'Birs' of Guru Granth Sahib was politicised.
First, the government did not take stock of the missing holy 'Bir' of Guru Granth Sahib from a gurdwara in Kotkapura for months together.
Then, all of a sudden, the incident was brought into limelight as more and more incidents of sacrilegious acts with the holiest Sikh book occurred at different times. Subsequently, mounting public pressure forced the authorities to act and some people were arrested and all of them were found to be Sikhs.
Judge said religious atonement for the sacrilegious act was not carried out though a precedent was there.
He recalled that a head of Damdami Taksal, a Sikh seminary, had organised akhand path, continuous recitation of Guru Granth Sahib for a 100 times to atone for the desecration of a similar nature, many decades ago.
He said in these protests, the common public was made to suffer. The majority of the protesters were youngsters. It exposed the phenomenon of high unemployment and a deteriorating economic condition. Farmers with small land holdings are becoming farm labourers while stagnation in farming and industry do not hold much hope for the youth. Desperation among the youth brought them to these agitations to express their disgruntlement.
However, he ruled out the revival of an armed Sikh movement in the state. He added that the Sikhs form nearly 60 per cent of the population in the state and their economic interest is spread all over the world.
Moreover, in the 1980s, when an armed struggle bled the state, differences among the ruling political classes were wide. Now, the ruling classes of almost all political parties have common interests.
The government acted only after it became publicly known that people would not vote for the Akali party. Similarly, trade and business suffer in the festive season, the period in which small-time traders earn the most in a year.
SGPC member and head of religious NGO Akaal Purkh Ki Fauj Jaswinder Singh Advocate said the aggravation in the protest was the result of misuse of the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs -- Akal Takht.
He said Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh had taken the decision to pardon the Dera Sacha Sauda head, Gurmit Ram Rahim, which was against the feelings of the Sikhs and the Sikh tenets.
Hence, it became apparent that the decision was taken under political pressure. The faith of common Sikhs was shaken and desecration of the holiest scripture of the Sikhs besides brought people on the streets and a tense situation developed.
Now, a demand has been raised to correct the procedure of decision-making at Akal Takht -- appointment of its Jathedars and their removal. Above all, they are not supposed to take major decisions concerning the Panth. For this, they are to follow the procedure laid down in the Sikh Rehat Maryada (code of conduct).
Such decisions can only be taken by a representative Jatha of the Guru Panth, which is Sarbat Khalsa. The Sarbat Khalsa is a representative of all Sikh religious organisations, including gurdwaras, that follow the principles of Guru Granth Shaib and Akal Takht.
