Whether a Sarbat Khalsa – a congregation of the faithful – will be called is a pending decision, but the Akal Takht has made it clear that it will not tolerate any attempts to damage the reputation of Sikhs. This even as fugitive Amritpal Singh wants the Jathedar of the Akal Takht, Giani Harpreet Singh, to endorse his cause.
As the matter simmers, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) said that calling a Sarbat Khalsa is the sole prerogative of the Akal Takht’s jathedar.
Despite the Sikh body maintaining a distance, it seems to have been drawn into the Amritpal Singh saga.
It has demanded that there should be no labelling or scapegoating of Sikhs due to Amritpal Singh’s activities. The Akal Takht’s jathedar has called a “special gathering” at the Takht Damdama Sahib in Bathinda’s Talwandi Sabo on April 7.
A message released by the Akal Takht secretariat urged Sikh intellectuals, including journalists, to attend the event. The SGPC’s general secretary has raised pointed questions.
“The demands for Khalistan have also been raised by Simranjeet Singh Mann, a sitting MP. Why was no action taken against Amritpal Singh when similar demands were made by a sitting MP? We have demanded that the NSA should be revoked against the associates of Amritpal Singh,” the message said.
Further, the SGPC has taken the stand that “only the Akal Takht has the authority to call for a Sarbat Khalsa. It cannot be called on the demands of an individual. At a meeting of all the jathedars, it was decided that Amritpal should surrender”.
Amritpal Singh has been on the run for over a fortnight now, since the Punjab Police launched a massive crackdown against him and his associates and followers on March 18.
In hiding since then, the self-proclaimed Sikh preacher is now Punjab’s most wanted and has managed to hoodwink the police, releasing two videos and one audio statement reiterating the demand for “Sarbat Khalsa”.
Amritpal also appealed to the jathedar to take out a “khalsa vaheer” – a religious procession – from the Akal Takht in Amritsar to the Damdama Sahib and hold a congregation there on April 14, when Baisakhi is celebrated. The meeting was about the targeting of the Sikh community and the Punjab-based media who, they believe, tried to portray ground reality. The grudge is also against sections of the mainstream media who the Sikh bodies claim are painting them in a negative way.
SARBAT KHALSA
The word ‘sarbat’ means all, and literally, the Sarbat Khalsa is an assembly of all factions of Sikhs (Khalsa). It translates to the “entire Sikh Nation”, but as a political institution it refers to the meetings of the Dal Khalsa, Sikh Misls, and the legislature of the Sikh Empire.
The idea of a deliberative assembly of the Sikhs dates back to the 18th century. The first Sarbat Khalsa was called by the 10th guru, Guru Gobind Singh, before his death in 1708, and the tradition of calling Sarbat Khalsa has continued ever since.
These gatherings are called twice a year on the occasion of Baisakhi and Diwali, but there have been exceptions. In 1920, the Sarbat Khalsa was called to discuss control over gurdwaras. This is when the SGPC was born. Again at the time of emergency, after Operation Blue Star at the Golden Temple in 1984, some organisers called the Sarbat Khalsa, but prominent Sikh bodies including the SGPC were not part of the call.
On January 26, 1986, radical Sikhs called a Sarbat Khalsa to discuss ‘kar sewa’ at the Akal Takht, which had been damaged in Operation Blue Star. A panthic committee formed to decide on the future of the Sikh struggle later that year gave the call for Khalistan.
In the recent past, the Sarbat Khalsa was called on November 10, 2015.
A congregation of nearly a lakh people took place in Amritsar district’s Chabba village. It was done on an open ground at the Gurdwara Baba Naudh Singh in response to an apology granted by Jathedar Gurbachan Singh to Gurmeet Ram Rahim Insan and the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib in Punjab.
The meeting was called by the radicals and their anger was aimed at the Badal-led Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). The chief of the United Akali Dal (UAD), Mohkam Singh, in a pre-decided move passed a resolution to remove the jathedars.
Some key appointments were made. However, this declaration is disputed and not recognised by the SGPC. But a top Punjab official, who did not want to be named, told India Today TV, “The matter eventually fizzled out despite there being over a dozen resolutions. But they said that Sikhs from across Punjab had joined the cause – much to the angst of the SAD government at the time.”
In the current circumstances, senior officials believe that there is not much resonance on the ground for Amritpal Singh. The radicals believe that Beant Singh’s assassin, Jagtar Singh Hawara, is the Akal Takht jathedar, not Giani Harpreet Singh.
They are not in favour of calling a ‘Sarbat Khalsa’ for an individual. Meanwhile, Giani Harpreet Singh, who has called for a meeting on April 7, may not be inclined to call a ‘Sarbat Khalsa’ as the Punjab Police released 348 of the 360 taken in under preventive detention.
This ‘Sarbat Khalsa’ impacted Punjab politics in a number of ways but, as an official said, the agenda is framed and then a ‘Sarbat Khalsa’ is called. Another said: “Much will depend on whether support is shown by the radicals. Until then, we are keeping an eye on the on-going situation. It will also largely depend on whether Amritpal Singh is arrested by then. The situation remains fluid.”
