‘Unfortunate’: Akal Takht jathedar on sacking of Giani Harpreet Singh
Akal Takht jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh condemned the SGPC's removal of Giani Harpreet Singh, calling it harmful to Sikh temporal seats' independence.
Akal Takht jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh on Thursday broke his silence on the removal of Giani Harpreet Singh as the jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib, saying the decision will harm the independent status of Sikh temporal seats.
He strongly condemned the decision of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC)’s executive committee to sack Giani Harpreet Singh.
Giani Raghbir Singh, who is on a visit to the United Kingdom (UK) these days, shared a post on his official Facebook account. “I have been following the developments that have been happening for the past few days seriously from all angles. My mind is saddened by these circumstances. The reasons and methods used to remove jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib from his post are not correct at all”.
“After the decisions taken by the Akal Takht on December 2, 2024, in the light of panthic sentiments and traditions, it seemed that an atmosphere was being created against him in a calculated and deliberate manner. A media trial was conducted against Giani Harpreet Singh by giving a wrong shade to an 18-year-old family issue,” said the jathedar.
Giani Raghbir Singh said, “As the jathedar of the Akal Takht, I also spoke when the SGPC set up a probe committee against him and termed it wrong”.
“If there is a need to investigate any kind of allegations against any jathedar of any takht, then only the Akal Takht can do it. It is unfortunate that Giani Harpreet Singh was terminated despite my statement. Sacking the jathedars in this way is an extremely unfortunate act,” the head of the highest Sikh temporal seat said, adding, “Once again, I want to say from my heart that terminating services of Giani Harpreet Singh is an extremely condemnable and unfortunate act”.
However, he did not say anything if he would take any action in this regard or not.
In a meeting, the SGPC executive panel sacked Giani Harpreet Singh, who has also been the acting jathedar of the Akal Takht for five years, on February 10, for which it is facing backlash in the community.
The move comes nearly seven weeks after the SGPC had set up a three-member panel to look into the allegations of “misconduct” against Giani Harpreet Singh levelled by his former brother-in-law and Muktsar resident Gurpreet Singh. The executive panel meeting chaired by SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami accepted the report of the probe panel and dismissed Giani Harpreet Singh from service despite protest by three members of the executive panel.
Giani Harpreet Singh was among the five Sikh clergymen who pronounced religious punishment to Sukhbir Singh Badal and other leaders on December 2 last year for the “mistakes” committed by SAD and its government in Punjab from 2007 to 2017.
The move to form a probe panel had invited criticism from several Sikh quarters as it was considered as “breach to jurisdiction of Akal Takht jathedar”. Objections were also raised on the probe panel comprising senior vice-president Raghujit Singh Virk, who is considered a close loyalist of the Badal family, general secretary Sher Singh Mandwala, who is SAD district president of Faridkot, and executive committee member Daljit Singh Bhinder.
As per sources, a group of UK-based Sikh personalities met Giani Raghbir Singh at Leister city on Wednesday and took up the issue of the removal of Giani Harpreet Singh and urged him to intervene in the matter.
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