Remove Dhumma as Taksal head: Panthic bodies - Hindustan Times
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Remove Dhumma as Taksal head: Panthic bodies

Hindustan Times | By, Khasi Kalan (ludhiana)
May 27, 2016 10:25 PM IST

The Amritsar-based radical Sikh seminary Damdami Taksal came under strong attack from ‘Panthic’ organisations at the bhog ceremony of Bhupinder Singh --- Sikh preacher Ranjit Singh Dhadrianwale’s aide who was killed in the May 17 attack near Ludhiana --- at Khasi Kalan village here on Thursday.

The Amritsar-based radical Sikh seminary Damdami Taksal came under strong attack from Panthic (religious) organisations at the bhog ceremony of Bhupinder Singh --- Sikh preacher Ranjit Singh Dhadrianwale’s aide who was killed in the May 17 attack near Ludhiana --- at Khasi Kalan village here on Thursday.

Sikh radical leader Baljit Singh Daduwal, AAP leader HS Phoolka also flayed the state government on the “deteriorating law and order situation.”(Sikander Singh Chopra/HT Photo)
Sikh radical leader Baljit Singh Daduwal, AAP leader HS Phoolka also flayed the state government on the “deteriorating law and order situation.”(Sikander Singh Chopra/HT Photo)

“The attack shows the deplorable state of law and order in the state. The Damdami Taksal at Amritsar is a high seat of learning for Sikhs, but under leaders such as Harnam Singh Dhumma, the pious body is losing its essence. Dhumma should be removed as Taksal head to revive its glory,” said Damdama Sahib former jathedar Balwant Singh Nandgarh.

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Read: Panthic divide: Dhumma slams Akal Takht, says govt siding with Dhadrianwale

Former Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee president Paramjit Singh Sarna said when the accused (Dhumma) has himself given statements admitting his hand in the crime, then why police were not arresting him?

Sikh preacher Panthpreet Singh appealed to all Sikhs to maintain peace and harmony.

Baba Ranjit Singh Dhadrianwale during the ‘bhog’ ceremony of Bhupinder Singh at in Ludhiana on Wednesday. (Sikander Singh Chopra/HT Photo)
Baba Ranjit Singh Dhadrianwale during the ‘bhog’ ceremony of Bhupinder Singh at in Ludhiana on Wednesday. (Sikander Singh Chopra/HT Photo)

“Police have failed to name the mastermind of the attack on Dhadrianwale. Everyone knows who the killer is” said Harjit Singh Dhapali, a Sikh radical.

Sikh radical leader Baljit Singh Daduwal, AAP leader HS Phoolka also flayed the state government on the “deteriorating law and order situation.”

Panj Pyaras attack Akal Takht jathedar

The Panj Pyaras who were removed from their posts by the Akal Takht, in Ludhiana on Wednesday. (Sikander Singh Chopra/HT Photo)
The Panj Pyaras who were removed from their posts by the Akal Takht, in Ludhiana on Wednesday. (Sikander Singh Chopra/HT Photo)

The Panj Pyaras (five beloved ones of the Guru), who were removed from their post after they slammed the five Sikh high priests for granting pardon to Sira dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a blasphemy case, announced Bhupinder Singh as a ‘Qaumi Shaheed’ (Sikh martyr).

Described the murderous attack on Dhadrianwale as a cowardly act, they said: “The attackers executed the crime in the garb of a ‘chhabeel’,” they said.

The Panj Pyaras also flayed the offer of compromise made by Akal Takht jathedaar Giani Gurbachan Singh to Dhadrianwale.

“The Akal Takht pronounces decisions and never acts a mediator. The jathedars were rejected by the people and now they are acting as middlemen to settle issues between Dhumma and Dhadrianwale,” they said.

Bhupinder’s kids on stage for 3 hours

Bhupinder Singh’s two children, aged nine and five, sat on stage for over three hours during the bhog ceremony. A Canada-based Sikh organisation Gurmat Prachar Society has offered free education to the two.

Read: Dhadrianwale demands CBI probe; says he has no faith in police inquiry

Correction: In the print and an earlier online version of this report, it was mentioned erroneously on May 27 that the Panj Pyaras who gathered at the bhog ceremony in Ludhiana have been appointed by the radical Sarbat Khalsa. They are rather the ones whom the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee had dismissed last year after they had slammed the five Sikh high priests for exonerating Sirsa dera head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh of a blasphemy charge. The error is regretted.

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    A principal correspondent, Aneesha Sareen Kumar is the bureau chief at Ludhiana. She covers district administration, politics and crime.

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