No action is taken against those who talk about ‘Hindu Rashtra’, Sikh youths are being influenced by Rasuka: Akal Takht

Jathedar of the apex Sikh body Akal Takht, Giani Harpreet Singh, on Monday gave a 24-hour ultimatum to the Punjab government to release all Sikh youths arrested during the search for Amritpal Singh, with the deadline approaching. Secretariat officials said that as directed by the Jathedar, the Sikh ‘Sangat’ would hold public demonstrations in villages, cities and abroad to highlight the government’s callous attitude towards the community.

“Stop hunting and defaming Sikhs,” the top Sikh cleric said in his address from the Golden Temple in Amritsar on Monday. He also criticized the national media for branding all Sikhs as “terrorists”. Giving an ultimatum to the Punjab government, he accused the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of “excessive police action” in the name of action against Sikh fundamentalist Amritpal Singh and his supporters.

They believed that this gave the national media an opportunity to label Sikhs as terrorists and defame the entire community. The Jathedar, without naming anyone, said that while on the one hand no action is taken against those making inflammatory statements about the Hindu nation, on the other hand, the Sikh youth who express their views in a democratic manner are subjected to stringent measures like the National Security Act (Rasuka). Laws are being imposed.

His address was followed by a statement from the Shiromani Akali Dal which claimed that the AAP government has become a party of discredit to Punjab and is in collusion with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government to hide its failures on all fronts. Together they are doing politics of polarization.

In defence, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said that screening of those arrested is going on and many are being released, action on Amritpal is necessary and according to the law.

Mann said that Amritpal is trying to disturb harmony and peace in Punjab, which is in line with the claim of the Punjab Police before the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Police had said that Amritpal, who has now been declared a proclaimed offender, was openly professing radical ideologies and separatist demands, and was campaigning using all means, including violent means, for a separate nation called Khalistan.

AAP’s chief spokesperson in Punjab Malvinder Singh Kang asked the Jathedar to ensure that Sikh preachers work sincerely to propagate the message of the Gurus and do not mislead the youth. It remains to be seen, however, whether the Amritpal operation hurts AAP politically in the Sikh-majority border state (bypolls are due soon in Jalandhar), as the Akal Takht Jathedar’s address has its own relevance to the community. However, the search operation for ‘fugitive’ Amritpal is not over yet. The police is still searching for him and arresting his close people.

According to the latest report of the Press Trust of India, Amritpal Singh is feared to be hiding in Nepal. News reports claim that the Government of India has requested the Government of Nepal not to allow the pro-Khalistan activist to flee to a third country and if he tries to escape using an Indian passport or any other fake passport so arrest him

What else did the Jathedar say during Monday’s address
In a strongly worded message from the Akal Takht, officiating Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh said nearly half of the nearly 400 youths arrested during the police crackdown are still behind bars and should be released immediately by Tuesday.

He also demanded immediate withdrawal of the NSA charges against Amritpal’s supporters. He said that the symbols and flags recovered from Amritpal’s bodyguard, which are claimed to be Khalistani, are actually associated with Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s Khalsa Raj and the Sikh princely states.

He said that if the deadline is not followed, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee will form a legal team and challenge the arrest of the police in the court. He also called for the Akal Takht to start a religious pilgrimage ‘Khalsa Vaheer’ to highlight the atrocities against Sikhs and tell the world how Sikhs are being treated. His address came after members of over 50 Sikh organizations gathered at his invitation to discuss the current tension in Punjab.

A section of Sikhs raised slogans in favor of Amritpal Singh during Monday’s meeting, while Giani Harpeet Singh asked the security agencies to clarify whether Amritpal was in their custody. Giani Harpreet said that if he is evading the arrest of the police, then he should appear before the police immediately.

‘National media maligned us’
Another strong message emerging from the meeting was on the portrayal of the Sikh community and Punjabis in recent national media coverage. Giani Harpreet Singh lashed out at the national media for defaming Punjab and even calling Sikhs terrorists. He asked, ‘Are we terrorists?’

He asked the SGPC and other Sikh bodies to take a strong stand on the agenda of the national media and take them to the courts for criminal action. He also said that while the national media was defaming Sikhs, Sikh journalists and Sikh channels were censored in Punjab, indicating a deeper conspiracy.

He asked the Punjab government to stop targeting and harassing Sikh journalists and their news channels. He said that their channels should be restarted immediately.

He added that the entire Sikh community stands with the innocent people arrested and will extend all possible help to their family members for their early release.

After the meeting, SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami also released a set of decisions taken during the meeting. He told the media that under the leadership of Akal Takht, Khalsa Vaheer campaign will be launched against drugs and degenerate lifestyle.

He said that financial assistance would be given to those families on whose members Rasuka has been imposed by the Punjab government. He also announced a legal team to challenge the detention and arrest of the Sikh youth.

‘Akal Takht Jathedar playing into hands of Badal family-controlled SGPC’
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday accused Akal Takht jathedar Giani Harpreet of playing into the hands of the “Badal (family)-controlled Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC)”.

According to The Tribune, in his tweet, the Chief Minister said, “History shows that the Badals have misused the position of Jathedars for their personal gains… It would have been better if you would have taken up matters related to sacrilege or the disappearance of ‘forms’ of the Guru Granth Sahib. But we would have issued an ultimatum (to the government) to take action, not to provoke a happy and contented public.

Responding to the Chief Minister’s tweet, the Jathedar of Akal Takht said, ‘Chief Minister, we will discuss politics later. Let us now save Punjab and introduce the innocent youth to their mothers and seek their blessings.

At the same time, regarding the expiry of the 24-hour ultimatum of the Akal Takht, officials of the Akal Takht Secretariat said that as per the instructions of Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh, villages, to highlight the government’s callous attitude towards the Sikh ‘Sangat’ community. Will hold public demonstrations in cities and abroad.