Days after the Sikh hardliners organised Sarbat Khalsa or the congregation of the Sikh in Chabha Village on November 10, the Punjab Police on Friday registered a case of sedition against its organisers and the speakers at the event where controversial resolutions were adopted to replace the religious chain of command.
The new Takht jathedars appointed at the event were also booked along with the key speakers under charges of sedition, promoting enmity between different groups, and sending offensive messages through communication services. The case was registered at the Chattiwind police station against around 20 Sikh leaders.
“A case has been registered as various anti-national and anti-social speeches were made during the function,” a senior official said.
Sikh hardliners SAD (Amritsar) chief Simranjit Singh Mann and United Akali Dal chief Mohkam Singh were the key organisers of the event where Giani Dhiyan Singh Mand, Bhai Amrik Singh Ajnala and preacher Bhai Baljit Singh Daduwal were announced as interim jathedars of the Akal Takht, Takht Kesgarh Sahib and Takht Damdama Sahib respectively.
All of them, except Mann, are already behind bars as they were picked up by police for preventive detention soon after the event. Mann was also taken into preventive custody but was released later.
Police are going through the contents of the speeches made at the event for further action, the officials said.
Sikh hardliners had convened Sarbat Khalsa on the outskirts of Amritsar on November 10 and announced removal of top Sikh priests including the Akal Takht chief. The hardliners alleged that SGPC, which appoints Sikh head priests, was being controlled by the ruling Badal family.
They also gave a call for a march to the Golden Temple next day. However, the police stopped them and later arrested several leaders of the Sikh radical groups.
It has also announced to appoint Jagtar Singh Hawara, the convict in Beant Singh assassination case, as jathedar of Akal Takht — Sikhs’ highest temporal seat.
Recently, the SAD-BJP alliance Ghas faced back-to-back protests. First the farmers held State-wide protests and blocked rail and road traffic over loss of crops. later locals were up in arms over alleged desecration incidents of Guru Granth Sahib.