SGPC Under Pressure as Sikh Groups Demand Reversal of Jathedar Appointments
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) is facing mounting pressure from prominent Sikh groups to reverse the recent appointment and removal of Takht jathedars. With a deadline of May 10 looming, tensions are escalating within the Sikh religious and political landscape.
Leading the opposition are the Damdami Taksal and Sant Samaj, under the leadership of Baba Harnam Singh Khalsa ‘Dhuma’, along with several Nihang Singh factions. These groups have issued a stern ultimatum to the SGPC: reinstate the previously serving jathedars or face a protest campaign.
If the SGPC does not comply, the groups have threatened to launch a protest outside the residence of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal in Badal village. Baba Harnam Singh Khalsa has warned that their agitation will begin on June 11 with a peaceful sit-in by a Gursikh jatha of around 500 members. This group plans to gather at Sukhbir’s home and hold monthly sit-ins every first Sunday, reciting Gurbani as a form of protest.
The protesting groups are also calling for a community-wide boycott of the newly appointed jathedars, Kuldeep Singh Gargaj and Baba Tek Singh Dhanaula, whom they accuse of being selected in violation of Panthic traditions and Sikh principles.
The SGPC now finds itself at a crossroads, with deepening divisions threatening to intensify if a resolution is not reached before the deadline.
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