Spotlight back on pardon to Sirsa dera head

The row over pardon to Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for committing a ‘blasphemous’ act of imitating Guru Gobind Singh is back in the spotlight with the Akal Takht jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh seeking clarification from three former jathedars — Gurbachan Singh (Akal Takht), Giani Gurmukh Singh (Takht Damdama Sahib) and Giani Iqbal Singh (Takht Patna Singh), who were part of the clergy that took the decision.

The row over pardon to Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for committing a ‘blasphemous’ act of imitating Guru Gobind Singh is back in the spotlight with the Akal Takht jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh seeking clarification from three former jathedars — Gurbachan Singh (Akal Takht), Giani Gurmukh Singh (Takht Damdama Sahib) and Giani Iqbal Singh (Takht Patna Singh), who were part of the clergy that took the decision.

The row over pardon to Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for committing a ‘blasphemous’ act of imitating Guru Gobind Singh is back in the spotlight with the Akal Takht jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh seeking clarification from three former jathedars — Gurbachan Singh (Akal Takht), Giani Gurmukh Singh (Takht Damdama Sahib) and Giani Iqbal Singh (Takht Patna Singh), who were part of the clergy that took the decision.

Both, Takht and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), faced unprecedented backlash after the 2015 decision.

On November 25, the trio was asked by Takht to submit their clarifications within five days ahead of the clergy meeting scheduled to be held on December 2.

During this meeting, the SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal and other Sikh leaders who served as ministers in the Akali government from 2007 to 2017 have also been summoned to the highest Sikh temporal seat. Sukhbir was declared tankhaiya by the highest Sikh temporal seat on August 30.

Besides, members of the then executive committee of the SGPC have also been summoned for their role in publishing advertisements in newspapers to justify the pardon.

The rebel Akali leaders in their ‘apology’ letter submitted to the jathedar on July 1 had alleged that Sukhbir used his ‘influence’ to get a pardon for the dera chief.

Interestingly, Giani Gurmukh Singh, who was serving on two posts — acting jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib and head granthi of Akal Takht then, had in 2018 claimed: “Badals pressured the Sikh clergy to grant apology to dera chief”. His TV interviews levelling these allegations are still available on YouTube. After his allegations, he was removed from both posts and transferred to Haryana. After his transfer, his brother Himmat Singh left his job at the SGPC and became a key witness in the justice Ranjit Singh commission constituted by the Capt Amarinder Singh-led Congress government to probe sacrilege and post-sacrilege police firing cases.

Giani Gurmukh Singh was reinstated as Takht head granthi a couple of days before his younger brother Himmat Singh rescinded his statement.

Scholars and experts believe that any adverse statement in the clarifications submitted by the former jathedars will have wider ramifications, especially in Sikh politics.

“So far, different concerned persons including Giani Gurmukh Singh have made verbal allegations against Sukhbir. If the former jathedars endorse it in their written clarifications, it will be documentary proof and may increase the problems for the SAD president”, said Harsimran Singh, a noted Sikh scholar.