SGPC’s covert move: Takht Kesgarh Sahib jathedar takes charge in wee hours
Giani Gargaj’s hasty installation amid nihangs protest call sparks major row; Later in the day, he also assumed charge as acting jathedar of Akal Takht with several SGPC officials skipping both ceremonies
After nihang outfits threatened to disrupt the ceremony and Sikh organisations decided to boycott it, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) installed Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, 40, as the jathedar of Takht Kesgarh Sahib in Anandpur Sahib in the presence of the ‘Panj Pyare (five beloved ones of the Guru)’ of the Akal Takht at 2.45am, seven hours before schedule, on Monday.
In the afternoon, he also took additional charge as acting jathedar of Akal Takht in Amritsar, the highest Sikh temporal seat, without any ceremony, for the first time in history, amid the row over the removal of previous jathedars by the SGPC.
At Takht Kesgarh Sahib, the coronation ceremony was to be held at 10am on Monday and invites had been sent to Sikh organisations, sects and seminaries. However, after the controversial removal of Giani Raghbir Singh as the Akal Takht jathedar and Giani Sultan Singh as Takht Kesgarh Sahib jathedar on March 7, Shiromani Panth Akali Budha Dal chief Baba Balbir Singh on behalf all major nihang outfits, including Dal Panth Baba Bidhi Chand Sursingh, Misl Shaheedan Tarna Dal Baba Bakala, Tarn Dal Harya Belan and Dashmesh Tarna Dal, threatened to disrupt the installation ceremony.
The nihangs had started gathering at Anandpur Sahib in Rupnagar from Sunday evening to scuttle the ceremony, leaving the SGPC in a fix as the jathedar’s installation was necessary before the Hola Mohalla festival that formally started at midnight. Several Sikh organisations, including the Damdami Taksal, Kar Sewa groups and the Takht Patna Sahib managing committee, announced a boycott of the ceremony and maintained that they will not accept new jathedars.
The SGPC officials secretly brought the newly appointed jathedar to Takht Kesgarh Sahib at around 2.40am and made him assume charge, cancelling the coronation ceremony that normally sees a big panthic (Sikh community) gathering.
Giani Raghbir Singh, who continues to serve as the head granthi (priest) of Sri Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple), Amritsar, not only skipped the event but also didn’t send the ceremonial dastar (turban) to the newly installed jathedar.
In such a situation, the SGPC officials made the Panj Pyare (five beloved ones of Guru) present Giani Gargaj the traditional dastar (turban). SGPC secretary Partap Singh and Takht Kesgarh Sahib manager Malkit Singh also presented turbans in his honour. The granthis of Takht Kesgarh Sahib honoured him with siropas (robe of honour). Besides the ardas (prayer), no other rituals were performed.
‘Violation of maryada’
Another row erupted after the installation, with Sikh bodies and scholars saying there was no parkash (installation) of Guru Granth Sahib at the main place inside the Takht, and doors were opened only a few minutes before Giani Gargaj arrived.
Amid criticism, the SGPC released a picture of Giani Gargaj in the presence of Guru Granth Sahib in a room in the basement of the Takht, where Akhand Paath (uninterrupted recitation of Guru Granth Sahib) was going on. This picture drew flak too as it was termed as violation of Akhand Paath maryada.
Terming it as a violation of Sikh Maryada, Giani Harpreet Singh who was also part of the December 2 decree and was sacked by the SGPC on February 10, said, “Neither Guru Granth Sahib nor panth was present during dastarbandi of new jathedar, which has set a new precedent of maryada violation”.
No office-bearer, executive committee or other members of the SGPC were present amid the growing opposition against the removal of the jathedars. SGPC chief secretary Kulwant Singh Manan, who disassociated himself from the SGPC executive committee’s resolution of removing the jathedars, also stayed away.
Nihang groups led by Baba Balbir Singh had gathered at Anandpur Sahib in large numbers and announced that they will not accept the new jathedar.
In the afternoon, Giani Gargaj arrived in Amritsar without any prior schedule and paid obeisance at Akal Takht, where he took additional charge as acting jathedar of the highest Sikh temporal seat without any ceremony.
Pertinently, Akal Takht head granthi Giani Malkit Singh, besides Giani Raghbir Singh stayed away from the proceedings.
At Akal Takht also, Giani Gargaj was presented dastar by Panj Pyare. Golden Temple manager Bhagwant Singh Dhangera was the senior most SGPC official present on the occasion. No other SGPC office bearer, member or senior official attended the ceremony.