AMRITSAR/CHANDIGARH, July 1: Rebel Shiromani Akali Dal leaders on Monday appeared before the jathedar of the Akal Takht and apologised for the “mistakes” committed when their party was in power in the state.
They handed the apology letter to Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh at the Akal Takht Secretariat at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The Akal Takht is the supreme temporal seat of the Sikhs.
The leaders sought forgiveness for the “four mistakes” during the former SAD regime between 2007 and 2017, including the failure to punish those responsible for the 2015 sacrilege incidents, and pardoning Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the 2007 blasphemy case.
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They also held SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, who was the deputy chief minister at that time, responsible for the “mistakes”.
While the rebels targeted Badal, in Chandigarh, the SAD’s women wing expressed faith in his leadership, saying he is best suited to lead the party at this juncture.
In the letter to the Akal Takht, the rebel leaders said the Sikh panth and the people of Punjab drifted away from the Akali Dal over these “mistakes” while asserting that they were ready to face any punishment in accordance with the Sikh tenets.
Because of this, the SAD faced “failures” not only on the religious front but also suffered people’s apathy in the political field, the rebel leaders said while acknowledging that they also remained part of the party leadership as these events unfolded.
Reacting to Badal’s 2023 apology for not being able to catch the culprits involved in the sacrilege incidents, the rebel leaders had recently said the forgiveness sought by the SAD chief was neither from the Akal Takht nor followed the rites and rituals of the Sikh tenets.
A section of senior party leaders have revolted against Badal, demanding that he step down as the party chief following its debacle in the recently held Lok Sabha elections in Punjab.
Recently, the rebel leaders had decided to launch the ‘Akali Dal Bachao Lehar’ and sought Sukhbir Badal’s ouster as SAD president.
Among the prominent leaders who have raised a banner of revolt are former MP Prem Singh Chandumajra, former SGPC chief Bibi Jagir Kaur, ex-MLA Gurpartap Singh Wadala, former Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa, and party leader Sucha Singh Chhotepur, all of whom presented themselves before the Akal Takht jathedar.
The letter also referred to the 2015 sacrilege incidents, saying the then Akali government could not ensure punishment to the guilty in these cases. The sacrilege incidents caused outrage in the Sikh panth, said the letter.
But the (then) Shiromani Akali Dal government and the then Home Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and president Shiromani Akali Dal, neither got this matter probed in a timely manner nor succeeded in getting the culprits punished, it said.
As a result, the situation worsened in Punjab and tragic incidents took place at Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan, it said.
The Shiromani Akali Dal government could not hold any official accountable for these incidents, it said.
The incidents related to the theft of a copy of the Guru Granth Sahib, putting up handwritten sacrilegious posters, and torn pages of the holy book being found scattered at Bargari, had taken place in Faridkot in 2015.
These incidents had led to protests in Faridkot. In the police firing at the protesters in October 2015, two persons were killed in Behbal Kalan while some persons were injured at Kotkapura in Faridkot.
The letter also mentioned the 2007 blasphemy case which was registered against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for allegedly imitating the 10th Sikh master, Guru Gobind Singh at Salabatpura in 2007.
“Instead of taking further action to punish the person, the SAD government withdrew this case,” stated the letter.
In 2021, Badal claimed that the SAD government had never withdrawn the blasphemy case against the Dera chief, who is at present lodged in a jail in Haryana. Ram Rahim has been sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for raping two disciples.
The letter also claimed that Badal allegedly used his influence to ensure that the Dera chief was pardoned in the blasphemy case.
“But the leadership of Shiromani Akali Dal and Shiromani Committee (SGPC) had to withdraw from this decision keeping in mind the anger and resentment of the Sikh Panth,” it said.
In 2015, the Akal Takht pardoned the Dera chief in the blasphemy case based on a written apology. However, bowing to pressure from the Sikh community and hardliners, it annulled its decision.
The rebel leaders also slammed the then Akali government for appointing Sumedh Singh Saini as the director general of police and accused it of failing to keep its promise of forming a commission to probe “fake police encounters”.
“Because of this and many other similar developments, the Sikh panth got angry and became disappointed with the leadership of the Shiromani Akali Dal. As a result of which, its position in the political and religious fields got weakened,” said the letter.
“We also acknowledge that we failed to stop the wrong approach of the leadership of Akali Dal and the SGPC, even though we repeatedly raised these painful issues within the party,” it added.
The leaders claimed they had urged the senior leadership of the party to appear before the Akal Takht, repent for their “mistakes” and express remorse as per the ‘Gurmat maryada’ (religious code of ethics). But their appeal was rejected.
“Being a part of the leadership of Shiromani Akali Dal at that time, we have a burden on our minds. That is why we have come to you to apologise for the mistakes through this letter,” the leaders said.
“We are ready to accept any punishment given by the Akal Takht according to the ‘Gurmat’ tradition for these mistakes so that we can be relieved from this burden,” it added.
After the meeting with the jathedar, the leaders offered prayers by standing in front of the Akal Takht and sought forgiveness.
Speaking to reporters in Amritsar, the rebel leaders expressed their commitment to revive the SAD and serve the panth.
On Monday morning, some rebel leaders went to the Amritsar home of Khadoor Sahib MP-elect Amritpal Singh and met his parents.
The radical preacher Amritpal is yet to take the oath as he is lodged in jail in Assam, detained under the National Security Act. (PTI)
