42 SGPC members seek revocation of Jathedars’ removal

Forty-two members of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Tuesday submitted a joint petition in the Sikh body’s office, seeking the revocation of the decision removing Takht Jathedars.

During its executive body meeting on March 7, the SGPC had removed the temporal heads of the Akal Takht and Takht Kesgarh Sahib.Earlier, on February 10, the SGPC had sacked Damdama Sahib Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh.

The decisions snowballed into a political backlash, with critics blaming Punjab’s former ruling party SAD for it.

The party, which currently dominates the SGPC, has been embroiled in a confrontation with previous Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh over a December 2 decree that had ordered SAD to launch a membership drive under the supervision of a Takht-formed panel.

The joint petition was signed by the SGPC members considered opponents of SAD.

Kiranjot Kaur, former general secretary of the Sikh body, said they demanded that the services of previous Jathedars be restored while rejecting the new appointments.

“It was for the first time in history that such a large number of members have signed a petition against the decision of the executive committee. We demand that the cancellation of resolutions of removing the Takht Jathedars be placed in the ensuing budget meeting of the SGPC on March 28”, she said.

The members also demanded that the SGPC formulate norms for the appointment and rights of Takht Jathedars only after taking the whole Panth into confidence.

Jathedar Gargaj meets families of blast victims

The officiating Jathedar of Akal Takht Sahib, Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, met the families of those killed in the 2017 Maur Mandi bomb blast. These families are still waiting for justice.

They shared their accounts with Jathedar Gargajj. They recounted how, on January 31, 2017, a bomb blast occurred during a political rally in their neighbourhood, killing seven people, including five children.

The families said their children were playing nearby when the explosion happened close to the political rally, making them victims of politics.

He highlighted that investigation reports clearly indicated that the vehicle used in the bombing was prepared at a Dera Sirsa establishment, yet the culprits were being protected.