Akal Takht summons Chadha over video row

Says exchief Khalsa Diwan head not to officiate any Sikh body till next decision

AMRITSAR: Two days after an objectionable video clip in which former Chief Khalsa Diwan president Charanjit Singh Chadha is seen with a woman principal of a school the charitable society runs surfaced, the Akal Takht on Thursday summoned Chadha over the issue. The date for appearance has not been fixed yet.

AMRITSAR:TWO days after an objectionable video clip, in which former Chief Khalsa Diwan president Charanjit Singh Chadha is seen with a woman principal of a school the charitable society runs, surfaced on social media, the Akal Takht on Thursday asked Chadha to appear before the Sikh clergy.

The date for appearance has not been fixed yet.

Akal Takht jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh said the dislodged Chief Khalsa Diwan head will not officiate in any Sikh body till next decision.

Chadha is also vice-president of the Khalsa College Governing Council that manages the historical Khalsa College (Amritsar).

“The video has hurt the sentiments of the Sikhs across the world as the Chief Khalsa Diwan is old and important organisation of the community," the Akal Takht jathedar said.

The jathedar said the decision on managing the affairs of the Chief Khalsa Diwan and its different institutions will be taken soon.

On Wednesday, office-bearers and members of the Chief Khalsa Diwan had removed Chadha, who is in his eighties, from the president’s post, replacing him with officiating head Dhanraj Singh, who was vice-president earlier. The woman principal in the video has also lodged complaint with the Punjab director general of police (DGP) against Chadha, accusing the octogenarian of sexually harassing her.

Several complaints have been made to the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs, by different organisations and individuals against Chadha.

On a question regarding the excommunication of former Akali minister Sucha Singh Langah, who is in jail in an alleged rape case, without hearing his side, while giving Chadha an opportunity to explain, the jathethar said Chadha’s matter is different from that of Langah’s.

“Chadha is willing to give clarification as the media reports suggested. He should be allowed to present his case,” Gurbachan Singh said.

He also sought a national holiday on Shaheedi Gurpurab (martyrdom anniversary) of ninth Sikh master Guru Teg Bahadar saying he made a big contribution to save the Indian culture and the Indian government should commemorate him.

He objected to the state government’s public holidays’ list saying that instead of including all days of Gurpurabs in Punjab into the gazetted holidays’ list, the state government had added the Baisakhi holiday in the reserved list, which is condemnable.

In a press release on Thursday, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) president Manjit Singh GK and general secretary Manjinder Singh Sirsa also condemned the state government’s list of holidays and demanded gazetted holiday on the occasion of Baisakhi, on April 13, 2018.

SIKH BODY ALSO LODGES POLICE COMPLAINT AGAINST CHADHA

Sikh Sadbhawna Dal led by former Golden Temple ragi (gurbani exponent) Bhai Baldev Singh Wadala also lodged a complaint with Amritsar police commissioner SS Srivastava against Charanjit Singh Chadha alleging the latter has hurt the Sikh sentiments.

Chadha has disrespected ‘kakars’ (articles of Sikh faith), thus hurting the religious sentiments of the community, Baldev Singh Wadala.

Chadha’s matter is different from that of Langah’s. Chadha is willing to give clarification as the media reports suggested. He should be allowed to present his case.

GIANI GURBACHAN SINGH, Akal Takht jathedar