Amritsar : SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal and SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami here today appeared before the Jathedar Akal Takht (higher Sikh temporal seat ) Gyani Raghbir Singh with written clarifications.
Earlier in the afternoon, today when Sukhbir Singh Badal, before appearing Jathedar Akal Takht, paid obeisance in the sanctum sanctorum of the Sri Harmandir Sahib.
Sukhbir Badal had in camera meeting with Jathedar in the secretariat of Akal Takht, even his security guards remained outside the office of Akal Takht .
When Sukhbir Badal came out after meeting with the jathedar refused to speak with the media about his meeting with the Jathedar Akal Takht.
Similarly SGPC president Harjinder Singh also met separately with Jathedar Akal Takht to submit his clarification. Talking to media Dhami said he submitted his clarification in the sealed envelope before Jathedar and further refused to share more details.
Now Jathedar in the coming period would call the meeting of five Sikh high priests (Sikh clergy) to discuss the sensitive issue and Sikh clergy may ask them again to appear when the decision to be pronounced from Akal Takht.
Earlier on July 15, Gyani Raghbir Singh had asked the president of Shriomani Akali Dal Sukhbir Singh Badal and SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami to send clarification in person within fifteen days.
Sukhbir Singh Badal was asked to appear in person before the Akal Takht to submit his written clarification with regards to the violations of Sikh tenets and customs as a written complaint was submitted by the senior AKali leaders at Akal Takht.
At the same time SGPC was also asked for clarification about the advertisement bills of Rs. 90 lakh which were given in the section of media while throwing all the religious norms to wind.
It may be mentioned here, on July 1, this year, a group of rebel Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders had appeared before Akal Takht Sahib ( the highest Sikh temporal seat for Sikhs) seeking apology for series of incidents that led inhabitants of Punjab annoyed with the party when it was in power in Punjab from 2007 to 2017.
They (rebel Akali leaders) at the same time also held SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal squarely accountable for revoking the case against Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, also failing to punish guilty involved in the sacrileges incidents happened at Bargari and Kotkapura besides police firing in Behbal Kalan in 2015. They also accused the then former DGP Sumedh Singh Saini who utterly failed to deliver justice to the victims involved in the fake encounter.
Among prominent who were at Akal Takht from rebel group were former Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Jagir Kaur, former MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, former MP Prem Singh Chandumajra, senior leaders Surjit Singh Rakhra, Gurpratap Wadala. All the leaders submitted a letter to Akal Takht Sahib Jathedar Giani Raghubir Singh squarely blaming president Sukhbir Singh Badal for his decisions that ruined the SAD outfit.
Rebels in their letter blamed Sukhbir Badal for pardoning Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim for wearing attire similar to that worn by tenth Sikh master Guru Gobind Singh.
All the leaders in the letter to Jatehdar Akal Takht had expressed desire to undergo any punishment that the highest Sikh temporal seat deemed suitable as they were very much part of the Akali government at that time but remained mute spectators to stop the leadership’s wrong decisions.
Rebels alleged in their letter that the SGPC spent nearly Rs 90 lakh on advertisements in sections of newspapers to justify its decision, but strong resistance from the people, the leadership of the SAD and the SGPC finally had to reverse it.
Adding further they alleged that the Shiromani Akali Dal government had committed major mistake by appointing an officer as DGP who was known notorious for fake police encounters of Sikhs resulting in the killing of Sikh youths, besides giving a ticket to the wife of another such officer who had formed the Alam Sena to carry out killings, she was made a chief parliamentary secretary. They also blamed that the Akali government formed in 2012 failed to carry out fair probe into alleged fake police encounters and provide relief to the victims despite promises made to the people.
Rebels informed in the letter that they had urged the senior leadership of the party to present themselves before Akal Takht to apologize for these mistakes as per Sikh tenets, but the senior leadership did not agree.
They urged jatehdar Akal Takht for forgiveness in writing for all such mistakes as they were the part of Akal Government besides saying that they all were willing to accept any punishment awarded by Akal Takht .
