Amritsar, Sep 9 (PTI) Former ministers Bibi Jagir Kaur and Parminder Singh Dhindsa, who are SAD rebels, and ex-minister Sohan Singh Thandal appeared before the Akal Takht on Monday and submitted their written clarifications in compliance with the directives by the supreme temporal seat of Sikhs.
Kaur and Dhindsa were part of a section of Shiromani Akali Dal leaders who revolted against party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal.
Their clarifications came days after the Akal Takht declared Badal ‘tankhaiya’ — guilty of religious misconduct for the “mistakes” committed by his party and the party’s government from 2007 to 2017.
On August 30, the Akal Takht had declared Badal ‘tankhaiya’.
The Akal Takht Jathedar had asked Badal to appear before the supreme temporal seat of the Sikhs within 15 days to seek apology for the decisions he took as the deputy chief minister and as SAD chief that deeply harmed the image of the ‘Panth’ and caused damage to Sikh interests.
The members of the Sikh community, who served as ministers in the Akali government from 2007-17, had also been directed to appear at the Akal Takht in person to submit their written explanation in 15 days.
Dhindsa said, “We are committed to the Akal Takht. As per directions, I submitted a clarification.” Before appearing before the Akal Takht, both Dhindsa and Kaur resigned from the ‘Shiromani Akali Dal Sudhar Lehar’ formed by rebel Akali leaders.
Kaur, the former president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) in 1999, 2004 and 2020, was also tourism and cultural affairs minister for a month.
She said she was sworn in as minister on March 14, 2012 and resigned on March 30, 2012. She had remained the member of SAD core committee member and no such issues were discussed during her period.
Kaur said that she was never the part of any discussion or decision of these moves which were presently before the Akal Takht.
Rebel SAD leaders, including former MP Prem Singh Chandumajra and Jagir Kaur, had appeared before the jathedar on July 1 and sought forgiveness for “four mistakes” committed during the party’s government between 2007 and 2017.
The rebel leaders, referring to the 2015 sacrilege incidents, had said the then government could not ensure punishment to the guilty.
Incidents related to the theft of a ‘bir (copy)’ of the Guru Ganth Sahib, putting up of handwritten sacrilegious posters and torn pages of the holy book found scattered at Bargari had taken place in Faridkot in 2015 when the SAD was in power.
During the anti-sacrilege protests in Faridkot, two persons were killed and several injured in police firing.
They had also mentioned the 2007 blasphemy case registered against Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for allegedly imitating the 10th Sikh Guru Gobind Singh.
Badal allegedly used his influence to ensure that the Dera chief was pardoned in the blasphemy case, they said.
In 2015, the Akal Takht pardoned the Dera chief based on a written apology. However, bowing to pressure from the Sikh community and hardliners, it annulled its decision. PTI JMS CHS KVK KVK
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