AMRITSAR: Giani Harpreet Singh, Jathedar of Akal Takht Sahib said that the purpose of martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib was to give everyone the right to worship their deity. Is being suppressed. Sikh issues are not being resolved.
While addressing the sangat during the Gurmat Samagam on the occasion of 401 birth anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur ji at Gurdwara Manji Sahib, he said that the promises made to the Sikhs since the partition of 1947 had not been fulfilled and that was why there was an atmosphere of mistrust among the Sikhs.
Jathedar Sri Akal Takht Sahib stressed that the Union Government should fulfill every promise made to the Sikhs since the partition of the country so that trust could be restored. He said that there was no secret that Sikhs were being attacked today. Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh in his address also asked for a united response to the attacks on Gurbani under a well thought out conspiracy.
He said that in the past a person named Thaminder Singh Anand had distorted and published Gurbani in connection with which a Panthic meeting has been convened on May 3 at Akal Takht.
A concrete decision will be taken from Sri Akal Takht Sahib according to whatever consensus is formed during this gathering.
He also appealed to the Sikhs living abroad to make efforts to connect their future generations with Sikh history and Sikh doctrines.
Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami, President of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak , also appealed to the Government of India to resolve the Sikh issues on the occasion of the 401st birth anniversary of the ninth Patshah Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib.
He said that today when the Union Government was also organizing ceremonies at the Red Fort in Delhi, it would have been better if the Prime Minister had dedicated himself to Guru Sahib to release Sikh prisoners, hand over the management of Sikh shrines to the Panth and Sikhs. And to announce concrete steps against racial attacks in the country.
He said that the ninth king had raised his voice against those who were suppressing the values of religion, but today his followers were being prevented from guarding the humanity of religion in the country. Sometimes the issues of kirpan and sometimes turban etc. are being deliberately confused and it is a pity that despite writing to the governments such incidents are not stopping.
He appealed to the government to take a serious stance on these issues.
Jathedar Karnail Singh Panjoli, General Secretary of the SGPC, said that paying homage to the 400th birth anniversary of the Ninth Patshah, the attack on Golden Temple and Akal Takht in 1984 in the Indian Parliament was an initiative to apologize for the Delhi Sikh massacre. At the same time, the decision to abolish the separate Haryana Gurdwara Committee, to end the blacklist and release of Sikh prisoners, to abolish Article 25-B, pending issues of shrines and issues related to Sikh institutions should be taken into consideration. He said that this would help in purifying the sentiments of the Center towards the Sikhs.