Acting Takht jathedar red-faced as hardliners decline ‘siropa’ from him
PROKHALISTAN OUTFIT LEADERS TERM HIM A BADALSAPPOINTEE; WALK OUT OF VENUE OF CEREMONY TO MARK INDIRA ASSASSIN’S DEATH ANNIVERSARY
AMRITSAR: Sikh hardliners on Wednesday left acting Akal Takht jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh red-faced when they refused to receive a ‘siropa’ (robe of honour) from him at a ceremony to observe the death anniversary of former prime minister Indira Gandhi’s assassin Beant Singh, saying he was appointed by the Badal family.
Giani Harpreet Singh took charge as acting jathedar on Tuesday.
The annual ceremony was held at Gurdwara Jhanda Bunga Sahib in the Golden Temple complex to commemorate the death of Beant Singh who along with Satwant Singh had assassinated the then prime minister on October 31, 1984. Both were Gandhi’s bodyguards. The assassins were hailed as “martyrs of the community” on the occasion.
Unlike his predecessor Giani Gurbachan Singh, who skipped the ceremony for the last two years due to a backlash from Sikh bodies over pardon to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a blasphemy case, Giani Harpreet Singh made it to the occasion.
Though he did not deliver speech, he was requested to give ‘siropas’ to the kin of Beant Singh and Satwant Singh. As nobody from Beant Singh’s family attended the ceremony, Golden Temple head granthi Giani Jagtar Singh announced that Jarnail Singh Sakhira, who is associated with Simranjit Singh Mann of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) and Dal Khalsa spokesperson Kanwarpal Singh, will receive it on their behalf.
As soon as the head granthi announced their names, the two pro-khalistan outfit leaders walked out after paying obeisance. Before walking out of the venue, Sakhira remarked publicly, “We don’t recognise him (Giani Harpreet Singh) as jathedar as he has been appointed by Parkash Singh Badal (former chief minister) and Sukhbir Singh Badal (Shiromani Akali Dal chief).”
Coming to the rescue of embarrassed Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) office-bearers and the newly appointed jathedar, the head granthi asked All India Sikh Students Federation (Bhoma faction) chief Manjit Singh Bhoma to receive the ‘siropa’.
Later, interacting with mediapersons, Kanwarpal Singh said, “Those who forced or lured the previous jathedar to issue edicts against the collective will of the community and undermine the sanctity of the Takht are the same people who appointed the acting jathedar. Until there is a procedure in place to appoint and removes the jathedar and the Panth is taken into confidence before his appointment, we won’t accept anyone,” he further said.