Amritsar: Taking responsibility for the objection raised by the Jatehdar Akal Takht Gyani Raghbir Singh over the dismissal of services of Takht Damdama Shaib Jatehdar Gyani Harpreet Singh, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami here today has resigned as president of SGPC on moral grounds.
Talking to media, Dhami announced his resignation by saying that he was going to resign after the statement of Jatehdar Akal Takht Gyani Raghbir Singh who said that to hold enquiry against the Takht Damdama Shaib Jatehdar Gyani Harpreet Singh followed by his dismissal as jatehdar was wrong and against the ethics of Akal Takht.
Since Giani Raghbir Singh had strongly opposed the removal of Giani Harpreet Singh as the Jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib.
Dhami made it clear that he resigned to show token of love for the Jatehdar Akal Takht Gyani Raghbir Singh.
Dhami said that in the ongoing crisis between the leadership of the Akal Takht, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee (SGPC) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) decided to give resignation.
Adding further he said that he has also stepped down from the seven-member committee formed by the Akal Takht Jathedar on December 2, 2024, for the reorganisation of SAD party.
However, on February 13, Akal Takht jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh had condemned the dismissal of services of Giani Harpreet Singh as the jathedar of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib.
The reaction of the Jathedar of the highest temporal seat of Sikhs came three days after the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee ended the services of Giani Harpreet Singh.
In a Facebook post, Giani Raghbir Singh wrote that the way Giani Harpreet Singh was removed was “highly condemnable” and “unfortunate” and also said it would harm the independent existence of the ‘Takht Sahibs’.
The Jathedar said on December 2, 2024, the edict pronounced by the Akal Takht was in accordance with the “Panthic sentiments and traditions.” Giani Raghbir Singh, who is on a foreign tour, described the reasons and ways to remove Giani Harpreet Singh as not appropriate.
He said Giani Harpreet Singh was a victim of a media trial in an 18-year-old matter.
Giani Raghbir Singh said he earlier asked the SGPC that the formation of a probe panel against Giani Harpreet Singh was not right and reiterated that only the Akal Takht had the authority to probe any allegation against the jathedar of any takht.
Even then, removing Giani Harpreet Singh from the position is unfortunate, he said in his post.
On December 10, the SGPC dismissed the services of Giani Harpreet Singh as jathedar of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib in Bathinda.
The decision had come in the SGPC’s executive committee meeting.
The committee had accepted the report of the three-member committee, which was formed to probe the allegations against Giani Harpreet Singh.
Singh was facing allegations in a domestic dispute matter.
