Sufi night at Qila Mubarak spells trouble for devotees
Sukhmeet Bhasin
Tribune News Service
Bathinda, November 13
A Sufi night organised at Qila Mubarak here on Tuesday evening gave a tough time to devotees visiting the gurdwara. The district administration had organised the Sufi night to mark the 550th Parkash Purb of Guru Nanak Dev.
Though everyone appreciated the lighting arrangement, devotees questioned officials for organising the Sufi night inside Qila Mubarak despite the fact that it has only one narrow route for entry and exit. Police personnel had to use slight force to control the crowd.
Vitul K Gupta, a resident, said, “I don’t know whose decision it was to organise a Sufi night inside Qila Mubarak, along with the ongoing kirtan at the gurdwara. When I visited Qila Mubarak, I was in a fix whether I should listen to the kirtan or attend the Sufi night. It is important to keep in mind that such a sacred function should not be clubbed with a Sufi night.”
Gurmeet Singh, a resident, said, “The Sufi night should not have been organised close to Gurdwara Sahib. Due to a limited number of entry and exit points, I shudder to think of the consequences in case of any untoward incident. The musical night could have been better organised in a sports stadium, which has a lot of space. It would have also saved the general public from a lot of harassment.”
No event at Lakhi Jangal
Surprisingly, the district administration had not organised any event at Lakhi Jangal village where Guru Nanak Dev had paid a visit. Last year, a religious event was organised at the village and Chief Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Suresh Kumar visited the place. The historic village was totally ignored on the auspicious occasion of the 550 Parkash Purb.
Beant Singh, sarpanch, Lakhi Jangal, said, “On November 23, 2018, Principal Chief Principal Secretary Suresh Kumar the Chief Minister had visited the village and announced a grant of Rs10 crore for development works. We are surprised that the district administration did not organise any event on the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji in the village.”
