Determined to go ahead with the November 10 Sarbat Khalsa, the organisers, including Simranjeet Singh Mann and Dhian Singh Mand, on Monday moved the Punjab & Haryana High Court to veto any attempt by the Punjab Government to prevent the Sikh congregation.
At the same time, the organisers have also made it clear that they would go ahead with the holding of Sikh congregation, no matter how much hurdles the ruling SAD-BJP Government throw in their way.
“No matter how much dictatorial attitude this Government would adopt, the Sarbat Khalsa would be held every year in any condition,” said Sikh leader and one of the Sarbat Khalsa organiser Baljeet Singh Daduwal.
Technically, only Akal Takht can call a Sarbat Khalsa — a congregation representative of various groups of Sikhs. However, the Sikh leaders have claimed that any group has the democratic right to call for a congregation to discuss any matter as long as it was done peacefully.
“last year also, the Sarbat Khalsa was organised peacefully, and we are going to do so this year too. The Government fears as we want to discuss important issue concerning the panth(community) and Punjab. They want to stop us as the event would hamper their poll prospects,” one of the Sarbat Khalsa organisers told The Pioneer.
In 2015, Sikh hardliners had appointed terrorist Jagtar Singh Hawara, convicted for the assassination of
former Chief Minister Beant Singh, as the new Akal Takht jathedar. It was in parallel to the appointment of Gurbachan Singh.s
Hawara, who was presently lodged in jail, former MP Dhian Singh Mand was appointed as officiating jathedar, in Hawara’s absence.
Besides, the congregation had also appointed Amrik Singh Ajnala and Baljit Singh Daduwal as heads of Takht Keshgarh Sahib and Takht Damdama Sahib, respectively.
Attended by more than one lakh people, the congregation had also passed resolutions to strip off Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal from the title of 'Panth Rattan — Fakhr-e-qaum', and the then SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar from ‘Shiromani Sewak' title.
The Operation Blue Star commander lieutenant General (Retd) KS Brar and former Director General of Police (DGP) KPS Gill were also declared 'tankhaiya' (guilty of religious conduct) and were directed to appear before the Akal Takht.
Continuous instances of desecration of holy books across the State and Government’s failure to check it was the main issue in the previous Sarbat Khalsa. Even as unabated sacrilege incidents were also in agenda this year too, issues like farmers’ suicides, deteriorating law and order situation, drugs were also on the list — something the government does not want to be discussed at such a large stage with elections just about three months away.
“Punjab is in dire straits. Situation oif law and order can be gauged from the unsolved cases of desecration of holy texts, Namdhari sect’s Mata Chand Kaur’s murder, murderous attack on Sikh preacher Baba Ranjit Singh Dhadrianwale, besides killing of senior most RSS leader Brigadier (Retd) Jagdish Gagneja in Jalandhar. Government has failed completely,” said one of the organisers.
Besides, he said, the farmers are in distress and state’s youth have been ruined due to drugs and “we are going to highlight all this”.
The Punjab police has been conducting raids in the houses of party workers and members of Sarbat Khalsa organisations across the State. In fact, unofficial arrests of various leaders have also been made.
Besides, the district administration had, a day before denied to allot the venue the organisers had asked for and even uprooted the tents that had been erected for the event.
With the state government holding a major crackdown on Sikh leaders across the state, the congregation organizers are now relying of a “favourable” ruling from the High Court.
Mann, Mand and others have filed four separate petitions in the High Court. While Mann had earlier moved the High Court seeking permission to hold Sarbat Khalsa on November 10,s Mand and three other jathedars, designated by 2015 Sarbat Khalsa, has filed petition seeking anticipatory bail or blanket bail.
Another petition has challenged the declining of permission for giving the venue to hold the event, besides one, filed by no less than 31 leaders, seeking directions against their arrest in wake of the alleged crackdown on supporters and organisers.