Opposing Sikh groups accept Gargaj as Akal Takht Jathedar

Several Sikh bodies that had been opposing Giani Kuldip Singh Gargaj’s appointment as the officiating Jathedar of the Akal Takht tied a ceremonial turban to him at a special programme here on Saturday, accepting him as a temporal head.

The event was organised at the Takht Kesgarh Sahib by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) — the apex gurdwara body that has powers to appoint and remove temporal heads. The event coincided with the beginning of a month-long series of events being held by the state government and the SGPC to commemorate the 350th death anniversary of Guru Teg Bahadur.

This comes days after Gargaj delivered an uninterrupted address to the Sikh Community from rostrum of the Akal Takht in Amritsar on Bandi Chhor Diwas.

Earlier, Nihang groups and several other hardliner Sikh organisations had forced Gargaj to refrain from delivering the annual address to the Sikhs on the Operation Bluestar anniversary on June 6.

Gargaj’s appointment had taken place after temporal heads of the Akal Takht and Takht Damdama Sahib were removed in a controversial move by the SAD-dominated Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. The SGPC had invited all Panthic organisations, including Nihang bodies, in Anandpur Sahib to honour him. On Saturday, the ceremonial dastar to him was tied by Jathedars of Sikh Takhts and representatives of Nihang and other Sikh organisations. In his address, Gargaj said it was a unique attribute of the Sikh Panth that its organisations always safeguarded the Panthic traditions.

Gargaj said the unity of the Sikh community would reflect in the observance of Guru Teg Bahadur's martyrdom day.