E-Paper
Mark martyrdom day as ‘Sahibzade Shahadat Diwas’: SGPC to PM
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and demanded that the martyrdom day of Sahibzadas should be marked as ‘Sahibzade Shahadat Diwas’ instead of ‘Veer Bal Diwas’ as announced by the government.
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and demanded that the martyrdom day of Sahibzadas should be marked as ‘Sahibzade Shahadat Diwas’ instead of ‘Veer Bal Diwas’ as announced by the government.
Dhami said in the notification issued by the home department, Government of India, this year, it has been notified to mark the martyrdom day of Sahibzadas as ‘Veer Bal Diwas’, while this name is not as per the spirit of Sikh history and principles. He said after this announcement of the Centre, a committee of Sikh scholars was formed by the Akal Takht, which has recommended the name ‘Sahibzade Shahadat Diwas’ instead of ‘Veer Bal Diwas’.
He said the executive of the SGPC had also passed a resolution in this regard in October after which an appeal was made to the government to change the name.
“In view of the spirit of the Sikh history and principles, the Centre’s notification should be amended and the martyrdom day of Sahibzadas should be notified as ‘Sahibzade Shahadat Diwas’ instead of Veer Bal Diwas,” he said.
Meanwhile, the SGPC president also asked Iqbal Singh Lalpura, chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities, to fulfil his responsibility on this issue. He said Lalpura should “stop making accusations” and raise the issues of minorities with the government as per the conduct of his constitutional post.
Dhami said, “Lalpura’s post on social media that no educational institutions have been opened in the last 318 years in the memory of Sahibzadas is wrong.”
He said a person sitting on a constitutional post representing minorities should not make statements without facts.
He said the Sahibzadas of Guru Gobind Singh and Mata Gujri are the heroes of Sikh history. He said many educational institutions are being run by the SGPC as a mark of respect in the name of these great martyrs.
Dhami said the SGPC also organises special events in all its educational institutions every year on the occasion of the martyrdom week in memory of the Sahibzadas for which an official circular is issued. Apart from this, many institutions have been established by other organisations in the name of Sahibzadas.
