Amritsar :  After undergoing religious atonement for 10 days awarded from the Akal Takht the highest Sikh temporal seat, the former Deputy chief minister Punjab and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal and other Akali leaders today paid obeisance at the Akal Takht on Friday where the Ardas (prayer) was performed as per Sikh tenets.

There was a thick security blanket during the arrival of Sukhbir Badal when he along with his former cabinet colleagues reached Akal Takht for Ardas.  District police, since morning, had already deployed heavy force in and around the Golden Temple complex.

However, earlier on December 2, five-high priests headed by Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh had pronounced the ‘Tankhah’ from the faseel (podium) of the Akal Takht, as per old existing Sikh rituals.

Sukhbir Badal was directed to perform sewa at Guru Ram Dass Langar Hall community kitchen of the Golden Temple by cleaning utensils and shoes of devotees at the Golden Temple for one hour, besides listening to ‘kirtan’. They were also directed to perform the service of ‘sewadar’ at Takht Kesgarh Sahib, Takht Damdama Sahib, Darbar Sahib at Muktsar and Fatehgarh Sahib for two days each.

The ‘guilty’ Akalis were made to wear a plaque with Gurbani’s inscription pertaining to ‘admittance of guilt’ on their neck during Sewa .

Sukhbir, other leaders, including SAD working President Balwinder Singh Bhunder and former ministers Gulzar Singh Ranike and Daljit Singh Cheema, Sukhdev Singh

 Dhindsa. Mahesh Singh Grewal performed ‘Ardas’ of penance and ‘bheta’, ‘degh’ of karah parshad was offered as per the directions from the Akal Takht. Sukhbir was seen in a wheelchair due to a fracture on his foot.