AMRITSAR December 2 is all set to be a big day for Sikh politics in Punjab as Akal Takht Sahib jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh has called meeting of Panj Singh Sahiban (highest Sikh presidium) on this day to decide about fate of Sukhbir Badal who has been controlling over Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD-Badal) and the largest Sikh body Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), with the help of Indian deep state. 

After declaring Badal tankhaiya (guilty of religious misconduct) on August 30 for the sins committed by him, his father Parkash Badal and his entire family, Akal Takht Sahib is supposed to pronounce tankhah (punishment as per Sikh tenets). On December 2, Akal Takht Sahib is most likely to pronounce tankhah to him as he has been asked to appear before the highest Sikh temporal seat. 

Besides, Sikhs who served as ministers during the SAD (Badal) government from 2007 to 2017, and members of the then core committee of the party have also been summoned to Takht on the day of the meeting. All these persons will be held answerable for their sins in presence of sangat (devotees) at the highest Sikh temporal seat. 

The sins committed by Badals included the revocation of the blasphemy case against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim for imitating Guru Gobind Singh in 2007; managing pardon to Gurmeet Ram Rahim in this case from Akal Takht Sahib, not punishing perpetrators of the Bargari sacrilege; Ordering Police firing on Sikh protesters at Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan, during which two Sikhs were killed and several injured; appointing notorious IPS officer Sumedh Saini who killed Sikhs in fake encounters, as the Punjab DGP besides giving Farzana Alam, the wife of another killer police officer Izhar Alam, the party ticket in the 2012 assembly elections and appointing her chief parliamentary secretary; and lastly, failing to deliver justice to victims in fake encounter cases. 

On November 16, in a drama, Sukhbir Badal tendered his resignation from the presidency of the party and stated in latest letter to the jathedar that he wanted to appear before the Takht as “humble Sikh”. However, his resignation was not accepted by the working committee of the party during its meeting on November 18 and a decision about this was kept pending. The drama gets exposed automatically as technically he is still serving as president of the party. 

The SAD president and other party leaders of his camp have been pressurizing the Panj Singh Sahiban to pronounce the final verdict in his favour, while entire Sikh nation wants Sukhbir to be removed from the presidency of the party, that will be the first step to revive the historic Sikh political party that is breathing its last thanks to the deeds of Badals. This party which once represented the Sikhs across the Indian sub-continent, is facing existential crisis today and has faced historic debacles in the assembly and parliamentary elections since 2017.

Today, all eyes are on this meeting. Credibility of the Panj Singh Sahiban (jathedars of Sikh temporal seats) is also at stake. The credibility touched a new low during Badals’ regime which misused this supreme institution for political ends. The Sikh scholars are considering these moments as historic and a rare chance for the jathedars to restore lost glory of the supreme seat that has been challenging the authority of the Indian State. Their decision will shape future Sikh politics in Punjab. 

Any kind of relaxation will evoke great resentment of the community, besides erasing chances of revival of the party. The community will not tolerate any kind of the relaxation with Badal. The jathedars are well aware of the fact, which is why they have acted impartially so for while handling this matter. 

On November 27, Faridkot MP Sarbjeet Singh Khalsa and jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh’s father Tarsem Singh met Akal Takht Sahib Jathedar appealing to him to take the decision on Badal and other Akali leaders without any fear and in line with the authority and sanctity of the Akal Takht and Sikh ‘Rehat Maryada’ (code of conduct).

Khalsa said they were compelled to meet the Jathedar after learning that undue pressure was being mounted on Takht Jathedars so that they soften their stand on Sukhbir and other Akali leaders. He alleged that not only the family of Takht Damdama Sahib Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh, some miscreants, at the behest of Akalis, had been doing recce of the children of Giani Raghbir Singh too.

“All eyes are on Akal Takht’s decision. Our purpose of meeting the Jathedar was to reaffirm that the Sikh community was standing by him and other Takht Jathedars. Being the occupant of the highest Sikh temporal seat, he should not bow to the pressure,” he added.

In wake of December 2 meeting, dissenting Akali leaders including former SGPC president Jagir Kaur, Gurpartap Singh Wadala, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Surjit Singh Rakhra, Prem Singh Chandumajra, Sarwan Singh Phillaur, Santa Singh Umaidpuri, Charanjit Singh Brar, Gagan Ajit Singh Barnala, Sikandar Singh Maluka and Bibi Paramjit Kaur Landran conducted a secret meeting at Chandigarh. Many of them served as ministers in the SAD (B) regime. So they will also appear at the Takht. They are expected to appear at the Akal Takht with full preparation of exposing Badals and their roles to damage the Sikh nation and its supreme institutions. 

Meanwhile, a meeting of Sikh intellectuals held on the 25th at the office of the Kendri Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Chandigarh to address the present crisis in the political and religious affairs of the community resolved that henceforth there will be zero political interference in the running of Sikh institutions and an ad-hoc committee be formed to constitute an Akali Dal with the original mandate of when it was formed in 1920 from the Akal Takht. They expressed confidence that these two very important issues would be seriously considered while pronouncing any ‘hukamnama’ (decree) on the 2nd of December.

Hardeep Singh