Pardon to Langah: Takht summons Taksal’s media adviser, SGPC takes action against 5 employees

AMRITSAR Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs, has summoned Sikh seminary Damdami Taksal’s media adviser Sarchand Singh on August 22 for his alleged

AMRITSAR Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs, has summoned Sikh seminary Damdami Taksal’s media adviser Sarchand Singh on August 22 for his alleged role in granting pardon to excommunicated former Akali minister Sucha Singh Langah. Besides, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has taken action against its five employees for their involvement in the pardon row.

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Langah, who also served as a member of the SGPC, was excommunicated in October 2017 as the Sikh clergy found him guilty of misconduct and violation of the Sikh tenets after a video allegedly showing him in an objectionable position with a woman was widely shared on social media. He was pardoned by the ‘panj pyaras’ (five beloved ones of the Guru) at Gurdwara Baba Banda Singh Bahadar in Gurdaspur district on August 3.

Confirming the development, Jaspal Singh, personal assistant of Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh said: “He (Sarchand Singh) has been asked to submit his clarification on August 22. If his reply is unsatisfactory, the five Sikh clergies will take against him as per the maryada.”

Sarchand has also been president of Sikh Students Federation (SSF) and media adviser to former Akali minister and incumbent MLA Bikram Singh Majithia.

Meanwhile, acting on a report of the probe panel, SGPC has taken departmental action against five of its employees for their involvement in the pardon row.

Mahinder Singh Ahli, personal secretary to SGPC president Gobind Singh Longowal, said two managers of historic gurdwaras — Ranjit Singh (Gurdwara Burj Sahib, Dhariwal, Gurdaspur district), and Jagdish Singh (Barath Sahib, Pathankot district) — have been shifted to Haryana. The former has been shifted to Gurdwara Patshahi Chhevin, Thanesar, Kurukshetra, as supervisor, while the latter to Gurdwara Dhamdhan Sahib, Jind, as assistant manager. Both have been fined Rs 2,000 each.

Besides, religious preachers Balbir Singh and Jagroop Singh were shifted to Sikh Mission, Haryana, while another preacher Gurnam Singh was transferred from Garhi Gurdas Nangal gurdwara to headquarters Dharam Parchar Committee, Amritsar.

Prior to this, Akal Takht declared SGPC member Gurinderpal Singh Gora and Rattan Singh Zaffarwal, who is husband of another SGPC member, ‘tankhaya’ (guilty of religious misconduct) for accompanying Langah and playing a role in pardoning him. A day after both visited the Takht to tender a written apology. On Takht’s direction, the SGPC expelled Gora from all the sub-committees.

The next meeting of the Sikh clergy is expected to be held by month-end to take action against the remaining persons, said the PA to jathedar.