Amritpal's bid to drag Akal Takht into his battle is not likely to succeed

Even as radical Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh has virtually sought refuge in the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs, by reiterating his call for ‘Sarbat Khalsa’, his bid to drag the Akal Takht Jathedar in the prevailing crisis may not succeed as the latter has hinted that he will not give in to his demand. Moreover, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), which is the mini parliament of Sikhs, has also snubbed Amritpal over his call for ‘Sarbat Khalsa’.

In his second video, Amritpal mounted pressure on Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh, challenging him over the issue of ‘Sarbat Khalsa’ (special gathering of Sikhs from across the globe to deliberate on the issues facing the Sikh community), stating that he should give a call for ‘Sarbat Khalsa’. “It would be a test of his seriousness towards the community,” he said. He didn’t stop here and went on to say that the Jathedar should also come clean on the allegations that he “acts under the influence of a family”, hinting towards the alleged interference of the Badal clan in the religious affairs.

Also read: HC slams Punjab govt for failing to arrest Amritpal Singh; seeks status report from police

Focus on Sikh youths

However, sources close to the Akal Takht said the Jathedar is unlikely to call ‘Sarbat Khalsa’ merely on the call of an individual who is fighting his own battle. “Sarbat Khalsa is called when the Sikh community is facing a crisis. But the prevailing crisis is entirely an issue of Amritpal Singh and not that of the Sikh community. Therefore, the question of calling Sarbat Khalsa doesn’t arise,” they said.

Talking to The Federal, SGPC general secretary Gurcharan Singh Grewal said, “To call or not to call ‘Sarbat Khalsa’ is the sole prerogative of Akal Takht Jathedar and no one else.” Being the leader of the Sikh community, the Jathedar takes each decision after deliberations with Sikh scholars and intellectuals, he added.

SGPC member Bibi Kiranjot Kaur also said there is no issue in the prevailing scenario on which ‘Sarbat Khalsa’ needs to be called. The issue of arrest of “innocent Sikh youths” too has been largely addressed as many of them have already been released by the government.

Sikh scholars too opined that ‘Sarbat Khalsa’ can’t be called merely on the wish of an individual. “It may only be called by the Akal Takht Jathedar and that too after holding a series of consultations with the Sikh intellectuals and organisations,” they said. It may be mentioned here that the last “Sarbat Khalsa” was held on February 16, 1986 when Giani Kirpal Singh was the Jathedar of the Akal Takht.

Sources said the entire focus of the Akal Takht and the SGPC right now is on ensuring the release of “innocent Sikh youths” who were arrested and booked under the NSA during the crackdown on Amritpal’s outfit Waris Punjab De. The SGPC on Friday took out a massive protest march in Amritsar from the Golden Temple to the Deputy Commissioner office, seeking early release of the Sikh youths who were arrested over the last couple of weeks.

Watch: Radical Sikh leader Amritpal still on the run; what explains the mystery?

Akal Takht vs Punjab govt

Interestingly, Amritpal has tried to put the Akal Takht Jathedar at the centre of the current crisis at a time when the Akal Takht has been engaged in a confrontation with the state government over the arrest of Sikh youths. In an unprecedented move, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann recently locked horns with the Akal Takht Jathedar by responding to the latter’s tweet giving an ultimatum to the government to free “innocent Sikh youths” and revoke NSA slapped on them. Mann not only hit back at the Jathedar, accusing him of furthering the cause of the Badals, but also ensured that his next tweet questioning the CM was withheld. Never before in Punjab’s history has a CM come out in the open against the Akal Takht.

In the past, Maharaja Ranjit Singh had once famously offered himself for punishment of 50 lashes from the Akal Takht for marrying a Muslim nautch girl, Moran, against Sikh traditions, though the sentence was later converted into a heavy fine. The Akal Takht had also excommunicated the then President Giani Zail Singh and Union Home Minister Buta Singh for their alleged role in the Operation Blue Star in 1984. They had both “repented” and were subsequently pardoned. In recent history, former Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia was awarded ‘tankhah’ (religious punishment) in a blasphemous speech row during the 2014 Lok Sabha poll campaign for BJP candidate Arun Jaitley in Amritsar.

The SGPC too has taken a serious note of the issue. SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami said it is highly condemnable that the chief minister has challenged the supreme authority of the Akal Takht by engaging in a war of words with the Akal Takht Jathedar who leads the entire Sikh community. He alleged that the CM was making “low level remarks” against the Akal Takht and its Jathedar instead of understanding the ground situation. He directly blamed the Centre as well as the state government for the current crisis in Punjab.

Also read: Amritpal case | Release youths or face global stir: Akal Takht’s 24-hr ultimatum

Special gathering of intellectuals

Meanwhile, the Akal Takht has issued a call for a special gathering of Sikh intellectuals, particularly from the field of media, at Takht Sri Damdama Sahib in Talwandi Sabo on April 7. The meeting will discuss the role of Sikh and Punjabi journalism, Sikh media’s contribution and challenges ahead in context of the situation in Punjab.

In a release issued by Akal Takht Sahib Secretariat, Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh has urged Sikh intellectuals, including Sikh journalists, to attend the gathering. The message says, “Punjab government has tried to target Sikh community says over the past few days but Punjab-based media has tried to bring the ground reality to the fore”. The gathering will be addressed by senior Sikh journalists besides others. The Akal Takht said “like-minded people should participate” in the gathering in large numbers.