“Decision taken to avoid any controversy on this sacred day”
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday decided to reverse the State Government’s earlier decision to sound mourning notes on December 27 during the Shaheedi Sabha, commemorating the martyrdom of the younger Sahibzadas and Mata Gujri Ji.
Mann, in a statement, emphasized that the month of December holds a special significance in Sikh history, marking the martyrdom of the entire family of the Sikhs’ tenth master, Guru Gobind Singh Ji. He acknowledged the unparalleled sacrifice of the younger Sahibzadas and Mata Gujari Ji, asserting that their supreme sacrifice has been a beacon inspiring Punjabis to stand against injustice, tyranny, and oppression.
Mann, stating that the decision has been taken in adherence to the rich Sikh traditions, expressed the Government's desire for every Punjabi to pay respects to the chotta Sahibzadas and Mata Gujri Ji on this sacred day.
“Martyrdom of Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh along with Mata Gujri ji had since ages inspired Punjabis to fight against injustice, tyranny and oppression…The supreme sacrifice made by the younger Sahibzadas at a tender age hardly finds any parallel in the world history,” said the Chief Minister, while maintaining that the state government wants that rather than indulging in any sort of controversy, every Punjabi should pay respect to chotta sahibzadas and Mata Gujri ji on this sacred day.
“Thus, to avoid any controversy on this sacred day, the State Government has decided to take back its decision of sounding mourning notes on December 27. This is common man’s government and every decision is taken in larger public interest,” he said.
Sikhs attend ‘Jor Mela’ at Sirhind every year in the last week of December to remember the martyrdoms. Mughal governor Wazir Khan had bricked them alive in events sparked by the attack on Anandpur Sahib by the armies of the Mughals and the hill kings of present-day Himachal Pradesh in December 1704. Guru Gobind Singh’s two other sons, Sahibzaada Ajit Singh Ji (18) and Sahibzaada Jujhar Singh Ji (14), were also martyred within a week.
The decision was taken a day after the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the body that manages Gurdwaras, had expressed disagreement with the Chief Minister's idea of sounding bugles. SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami had said that it goes against Gurmat principles, while urging the immediate withdrawal of the decision, emphasizing that the martyrdom of Sahibzadas should be revered as a symbol of charhdi kala (high spirit) rather than portrayed mournfully.
The controversy arose when the Chief Minister Mann announced the decision to sound ‘mourning notes’ on December 27 during the Shaheedi Sabha, intending to pay respects to the martyrdom of Sahibzadas — Sahibzada Zorawar Singh, Sahibzada Fateh Singh, and their grandmother Mata Gujri Ji. The SGPC, opposing the idea, stressed that the martyrdom of Sahibzadas is not a sad event but a symbol of resilience in upholding truth, rights, and dharma.
