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Akal Takht, SGPC at odds with Centre over ‘Veer Bal Diwas’ name
According to the Sikh bodies and leaders, it is not justified to project younger Sahibzadas as youth icons only, and instead, the day should be named as ‘Sahibzade Shahadat Diwas’ as it is grounded in historical accuracy
As the Centre gears up to commemorate ‘Veer Bal Diwas’ on December 26 to mark the martyrdom of the younger Sahibzadas of the 10th Sikh master, Guru Gobind Singh, several Sikh organisations and leaders, including the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhism, have raised objections to the name.
According to the Sikh bodies and leaders, it is not justified to project younger Sahibzadas as youth icons only, and instead, the day should be named as ‘Sahibzade Shahadat Diwas’ as it is grounded in historical accuracy.
Akal Takht and SGPC have been at the forefront and, in a December 9 letter, asked all Sikh Members of Parliament in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to raise the issue with the Centre. The Akal Takht acting jathedar, Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, has also called a meeting of Sikh clergy on December 28 to discuss the issue.
However, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the Centre has justified the commemoration across the country and has said that it is a real tribute to the Sahibzadas. All the states, particularly those governed by the BJP, are planning commemorative events on Friday (December 26).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to attend the main event at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on Friday. On January 9, 2022, the central government had decided to commemorate December 26 as Veer Bal Diwas in honour of the supreme sacrifice made by Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh, the younger sons of the 10th Sikh Guru Govind Singh, in 1705 at the tender ages of nine and six years, respectively.
Former Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) president Paramjit Singh Sarna, who is president of the Delhi unit of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) said that renaming the day as ‘Sahibzade Shahadat Diwas’ conveys the reality, without dilution.
“Sahibzadas were bricked alive for refusing to renounce their faith. The word Shahadat is grounded in historical accuracy, ethical reasoning, and has been the party’s stand for many years,” Sarna said.
Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, along with several MPs and several Sikh scholars and institutions, have urged the central government to rename the day.
Harsimrat has even raised the issue in the winter session of the parliament. Rajya Sabha member Vikramjit Singh Sahney said that he was the first to demand changing the name of the commemorative event.
Former president of DSGMC Manjit Singh GK said that the present name doesn’t match with Sikh ethos and maryada and should be replaced. “I fail to understand what is stopping the Centre from changing the name,” he asked.
BJP’s spokesperson in Punjab, Sarchand Singh Khiala, said that there is a contradiction between the SAD’s past advocacy and its present objections regarding observing the name. “Harsimrat Kaur Badal raised this demand in 2019, but now she is opposing it,’ he said.
In defence, Sarna said in 2019 the Shiromani Akali Dal had formally supported replacing Bal Diwas with a national observance marking the martyrdom of the Sahibzadey of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib.
“There is no inconsistency, as is being alleged. The party has always maintained that the martyrdom of Sahibzadas deserved national recognition. When the Centre instituted Veer Bal Diwas, it acknowledged that position. At the same time, the name attached to a commemoration carries weight, because language shapes how history is understood,” he added.
Former Rajya Sabha member Tarlochan Singh said that it is a positive step. “Since 2022, the commemorative events have been organised. Now events are being held across the country and even abroad. It is a positive step,” he added.
DSGMC president Harmeet Singh Kalka said that the government has dedicated the martyrdom day as a national event, and in his opinion, takes the message of the supreme sacrifice of Chhote Sahaibzadas to every household in the country. “As far as the name (of the commemorative day) is concerned, the Sikh intellectuals should take a call and at this stage the focus should be on the sacred days of sacrifice,” he said.
Issue of FIR in Saroops case to be taken up
As per persons privy to development, the Sikh clergy meeting is also likely to take up the issue of FIR registered in case of missing 328 saroops of Guru Granth Sahib, along with the issue of getting the name changed to Sahibzade Shahadat Diwas.’
“The Sikh clergy might make pronouncements on both issues after the meeting,” an official said.
The meeting was called a day after a special investigation team (SIT) was constituted to probe the case of the missing 328 holy saroops. The FIR was registered under IPC sections 295 (injuring or defiling a place of worship or sacred object with intent to insult a religion), 295-A, 409, 465 and 120-B on December 7 against 16 individuals, mostly former SGPC officials and staffers, nearly five years after the matter came to light.
The SGPC had termed it as direct interference in religious and internal administrative affairs and had put the ball in the court of Akal Takht’s jathedar, urging him to issue an edict in this matter.
Sandhwan asks SGPC to cooperate with cops
Chandigarh Punjab Vidhan Sabha speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan on Thursday appealed to the SGPC to extend full cooperation to the Punjab government in taking action against the culprits instead of indulging in politics over the issue of 328 missing saroops.
“Politics should not be done on issues related to Guru Sahib,” he said in a statement. The speaker accused the SGPC of misleading the community over the FIR registered by the Punjab government by claiming government interference in Sikh religious matters. “The SGPC should clarify their stance on where the 328 holy Saroops went,” he said.
