SGPC slams Amritpal Singh over Sarbat Khalsa calls
The top Sikh body"s rejoinder came days after the fugitive Waris Punjab De chief, in his two video messages, asked Akal Takht to call "Sarbat Khalsa" (Sikh religious congregation) and take out a "Khalsa Vaheer" (religious procession) from the Akal Takht in Amritsar to the Damdama Sahib in Bathinda.
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Amritsar, Apr 01: The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has slammed Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh over his recent 'Sarbat Khalsa' (grand assembly) calls on social media and made it clear that it was only the prerogative of the Akal Takht jathedar (chief) to give a such call of the congregation after discussion with concerning Sikh community.
The top Sikh body's rejoinder came days after the fugitive Waris Punjab De chief, in his two video messages, asked Akal Takht to call 'Sarbat Khalsa' (Sikh religious congregation) and take out a 'Khalsa Vaheer' (religious procession) from the Akal Takht in Amritsar to the Damdama Sahib in Bathinda.
"It is the personal wish of Amritpal Singh... To call or not to call 'Sarbat Khalsa' is the sole prerogative of Akal Takht jathedar and no one else," news agency PTI quoted SGPC General Secretary Gurcharan Singh Grewal as saying.
Furthermore, Grewal said that since the jathedar is leading the Sikh community, he takes each decision with deep thought followed by the opinions of Sikh scholars and intellectuals. "The jathedar would see what needs to be done in the light of prevailing circumstances... There is no doubt that many Sikhs who are close to Amritpal Singh were arrested under the National Security Act, which is also a matter of grave concern, he added. Earlier this week, Amritpal Singh requested the jathedar of the Akal Takht to call Sarbat Khalsa to discuss issues to save Punjab on Baisakhi (April 13) and said he "is not yet arrested". "I have urged the Jathedar to call the Sarbat Khalsa. Call the Sarbat Khalsa, and prove that you are the jathedar," Amritpal Singh said in an unverified audio clip that surfaced later on social media. “If we are going to play politics even today, doing the same things we used to do earlier, then what’s the point of being a jathedar in the future? We should understand that today is the time for the entire community to come together,” he said as he called for Sikh unity. Amritpal Singh has been on the run since a police crackdown on his outfit Waris Punjab De on March 18. In the audio clip, he debunked speculation he was negotiating his surrender with Punjab Police. "I am not scared and I don’t fear going to jail, or torture in police custody. Let them do whatever they want," he added.
Meanwhile, Punjab Police expanded their search for Amritpal Singh on Friday to 'deras' and other possible hideouts of the fugitive preacher in the Hoshiarpur district. The hunt to nab Amritpal Singh was launched in Hoshiarpur district after police chased an Innova SUV from Phagwara, which some sources said may have carried Amritpal Singh and his aides. The mega crackdown on the radical leader was launched by Punjab Police after he along with his supporters stormed a police station in Ajnala near Amritsar to secure the release of an arrested man.
