Low-key no more, Nirankari sect in an expansion mode
CHANDIGARH : Founded in Rawalpindi (now in Pakistan) in 1929 by Baba Buta Singh, the Sant Nirankari Mission now claims to have 1 crore followers drawn from different religions worldwide.
Headquartered at New Delhi’s Nirankari Colony, the sect that kept a low profile after 1978 when 13 Sikh protesters were killed in a Sikh-Nirankari clash in Amritsar on Baisakhi day, is now in an expansion mode. The Sikhs were protesting against a congregation being organised by the then sect head, Gurbachan Singh.
The sect, now headed by Sister Sudiksha who took over as its spiritual head from her mother Mata Sawinder in July 2018, believes in a living guru who is the link between God and the followers.
Like many other sects and deras, the mission is a fundrich body.
Sikh organisations had objected to the style of preaching by the sect. Gurbachan Singh, who was third guru of the sect, was assassinated by a Sikh man at the sect’s Delhi headquarters in 1980.
The assassin, Ranjit Singh, after finishing his jail term was made jathedar (head priest) of the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs.
The sect never openly supported any politically party but it is believed to be inclined towards the Congress. Leaders of all parties, except the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), visit the sect headquarters seeking support of its followers.
Nirankari bhawans are functional in all big and small towns of Punjab and Haryana. These preaching centres are not located prominently and keep a low profile. In Chandigarh alone, the sect has five bhawans. A 51-member Nirankari mandal runs the sect affairs.
The sect used to organise three-day annual function in November near the Karnal bypass in Delhi.
The annual gathering attended by lakhs of followers is now held at nearby Smalkha town in Haryana where the sect has over 100 acres of land.
Baba Hardev Singh, who took over from his father Gurbachan Singh was the longest serving head for 36 years, died in a road accident in May 2016 in Canada while he was on a tour to mobilise supporters in North America.
Sect preachers refer to scriptures of other religions during preaching and the sect has its own Avtar Bani written by second head Baba Avtar Singh.