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400th birth anniv of Guru Tegh Bahadur: Amid Covid surge, thousands take part in Baba Bakala event
SGPC chief Jagir Kaur says government should desist from creating hurdles for devotees to attend religious events
Amid the fresh wave of Covid-19, thousands of people attended a religious function organised by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to mark the 400th birth anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur at Baba Bakala on Thursday giving two hoots to the fresh safety guidelines. Amritsar deputy commissioner (DC) Gurpreet Singh Khaira had made it mandatory to have Covid-19 negative reports for all those attending gatherings.
On the sideline of the function, SGPC chief Jagir Kaur said more mega events will be organised to mark the birth anniversary of the ninth Guru ahead of Hola Mohalla in Anandpur Sahib. She appealed to the Sikh sangat to take part in huge numbers in the events. She also condemned the orders of the Amritsar and Rupnagar DCs, saying: “How can lakhs of people get themselves tested within 72 hours?” Kaur said she had requested the CM not to “create hurdles in the events” by getting such orders issued. “If he (the CM) wants us not to organise such events, he should himself make an announcement in this regard. Authorities shouldn’t stop the people from coming,” she said.
At the event, social distancing norms were violated and there were few people with face masks, not even the organisers. “The organisers of any social, religious, sports, entertainment or culture event shall ensure that any person attending the event should be either tested negative for Covid 72 hours prior to the event, or should have been vaccinated,” the DC had ordered. He had also said that the ceiling of 100 people (for indoor) and 200 people (for outdoor) for all gatherings shall strictly be enforced. There was provision of fine against the violators.
The DC said he will enquire about the Baba Bakala event, adding they have already asked the religious bodies to cooperate with the health department’s guidelines. “With 213 new cases reported on Thursday, we have imposed night curfew in the district. We are also going to ensure strictness in the planned functions of all religions,” he said, adding that if need arises, meetings will be conducted with the religious bodies to make them aware about the seriousness of the condition.
Meanwhile, addressing the gathering, Akal Takht’s acting jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh compared the present time with the Aurangzeb’s rule. He termed the “conspiracies” of governments of the times to oppress the minorities as “dangerous”.
“Guru Tegh Bahadur’s entire life was an inspiration for the people. The guru had opposed the conversion of other communities into Muslim religion, and martyred for the cause. The people different religions and cultures live in the country. The religious independence and rights of the people should be protected.”
SGPC chief said a special religious procession will be organised on March 20 from Amritsar to Delhi.
