Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gargaj meets Balwant Singh Rajoana at Patiala jail ahead of Bluestar anniversary

Akal Takht officiating Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj on Tuesday met Balwant Singh Rajoana, a convict on death row for the assassination of former Punjab CM Beant Singh.

Rajoana, a hardliner, is currently lodged in the Patiala Central Jail. The meeting came days before the anniversary of the Operation Bluestar on June 6.

Giani Gargaj said Rajoana conveyed a message that the Akal Takht was supreme and its decorum should be maintained. He said Rajoana stressed that no action should be taken that affects the status of the temporal seat.

“Rajoana has said that the day (Bluestar anniversary) should be observed by remembering the martyrs and no one should cause any disruption,” said Gargaj.

The statement has come as Damdami Taksal head Harnam Singh Dhuma had demanded that the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) stop Giani Gargaj from addressing Sikhs on the anniversary of the Operation Bluestar.

He had told reporters that Giani Gargaj “wasn’t an accepted Jathedar” of the community.

However, Giani Gargaj said Rajoana conveyed the message that throughout history, all jathedars “had been appointed by the SGPC”, which was a religious and representative body of the Sikhs.

“The current Jathedar has also been appointed under the same process. Therefore, out of respect for the sanctity of the Akal Takht, no one should make statements that could undermine its supremacy,” said Gargaj quoting Rajoana.