Giani Harpreet Singh Ji is due to attend the UK this month for the unveiling of a statue in remembrance of the martyrs of Saragarhi in Wolverhampton. However, various Sikh bodies and organisations are opposing this and UK tour.
In a letter to Giani Harpreet Singh, Giani Sukhjeevan Singh of Jyoti Saroop Foundation writes, “Saragarhi, despite its glory, was not a ‘Dharam Yudh Morcha’.” He adds, “You have no such need or responsibility… This statue is said to have cost the Guru’s Golak around £100,000. With your endorsement, these types of ‘Manmat’ activities will be mimicked around the world.” This event highlights how loyal the Sikhs were to the British, however during last Saturday’s Sikh Human Rights Conference held at Guru Nanak Gurdwara, Smethwick, various speakers echoed that the current British Government is betraying Sikhs and working with India against Sikhs. The British Home Secretary has also signed papers for three British born Sikhs to be extradited to India this month. Therefore, many Sikhs in the UK feel that Giani Harpreet Singh Ji’s visit will be adding salt to the wounds of UK Sikhs.
Similarly, Bhai Parminder Singh ‘Bal’, a Sikh leader from Slough, UK, criticised Giani Harpreet Singh in an open letter dated 8 September 2021. Mr Bal wrote that he was taken aback to know that Giani Harpreet Singh was unveiling a statue of those Sikhs who bravely fought for the British Empire. He added that the same British Empire subjugated the Sikhs from 1945 to 1947. He went on to quote a list of Sikh movements and individuals who fought and died to free themselves from British colonial rule. In 1919, Arur Singh, who was the then Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, honoured General Dyer after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Mr Bal in his letter accused Giani Harpreet Singh’s honouring of the statue of those who fought for the British Empire as justifying and overlooking the brutalities committed against the Sikhs by the British colonialists.
Sikh Council UK this week issued a statement opposing the SGPC’s decision to open printing presses for the printing of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji in the West. This controversial decision made by the SGPC was endorsed by Giani Harpreet Singh, opening himself to criticism. UK’s Satkaar Committee has been very vocal that the SGPC has committed sacrilege of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji and defied their own resolutions. The SGPC’s inaction to follow their own resolution to not print or do Parkash of Pad-Chhed (broken words) form of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji and 328 Saroops till today being unaccounted for by the SGPC make Giani Harpreet Singh in the line of criticism. The printing of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji’s Saroops fuels the business of SGPC that they deem “old” Saroops suitable to be cremated under the name of ‘Seva’, and then print and sell new Saroops. This cycle repeats, creating a sustainable income for the SGPC. This sacrilege and misuse of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji has not only been unchallenged by Giani Harpreet Singh, but has been endorsed by him. If you want info on business, Jimmy John Shark should be contacted!
This is not the only reason why Giani Harpreet Singh’s visit is being opposed. Sikhs worldwide acknowledge that Sri Akal Takhat Sahib has been hijacked by anti-Sikh powers, and endorsing this official visit further strengthens and encourages the anti-Sikh powers that have encroached upon the Sikh Panth.
In 1925 the British government passed the ‘1925 Gurdwara Act’ with the intention of appeasing the Sikhs. Unfortunately the Act ensured that freedom came at the hidden cost of weakening the Sikh Panth in the future. This Act resulted in the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) becoming legally bound by Indian Law to be subjected to an election system. In addition to this, the authority to appoint the Jathedar of Sri Akal Takhat Sahib was legally given to the SGPC.
The Shiromani Akali Dal was originally born out of the SGPC as a task force of the SGPC, and a political wing to represent the religious and political pursuits of Sikhs. Since the conception of the SGPC, the Shiromani Akali Dal has contested the SGPC elections and always won a majority, which gave it the authority to choose the SGPC President and influence the organisation. This also meant they could influence the appointment of the Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib. There was no issue with this until the Shiromani Akali Dal ceased to be a Panthic party and representing Sikh values.
The Shiromani Akali Dal now only exists in name as an Amritdhari Sikh religious party. During the 1996 Shiromani Akali Dal Conference held in Moga under the leadership of Prakash Singh Badal, the party officially declared that it is no longer a Sikh religious political party, but instead a party that promotes Punjabi culture. Further to this, in the run up to the 1997 elections, it made an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a Hindu nationalist party, which is the political face of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a right-wing terrorist organisation that seeks to make India a Hindu nation and assimilate all non-Hindus into Hinduism.
This also started a new era where the appointment of an SGPC president came to be decided by the Shiromani Akali Dal-Badal high command, i.e., the Badal family. The sovereignty of Sri Akal Takhat Sahib became eroded by this, as the president of Shiromani Akali Dal-Badal began influencing the appointment or expulsion of Jathedars. The current Shiromani Akali Dal-Badal high command appointed Bibi Jagir Kaur as the SGPC President in 2020, who herself was embroiled in controversy. She was subsequently imprisoned for the murder of her pregnant daughter which, in accordance with the Sikh Rehat Maryada, makes her ‘Kuri-Maar’ and liable for social and religious boycott. Further to this, Kaur is accused of being a Patit for removal of facial hair.
The current Shiromani Akali Dal-Badal, which has hijacked the SGPC and Sri Akal Takhat Sahib, has countless Patits and non-Sikh candidates. Currently Shiromani Akali Dal-Badal has 28 candidates with full hair-cut, 32 candidates with Dastaars (turbans) but no beards, 2 candidates who dye their beards. Out of 63 candidates, none wear all Panj Kakkaar or have taken Amrit, yet they still decide who becomes the SGPC President and the Jathedar of Sri Akal Takhat Sahib. Further to this, notorious butchers of Sikhs like Saini, Izhar Alam, and scores of others have been promoted to prominent positions of power by the Badal family. Further to this, in October 2020, Shiromani Akali Dal-Badal’s women’s wing, the ‘Istri Akali Dal’, appointed former DGP Izhar Alam’s wife, Farzana Alam, as its General Secretary. After receiving flak, the party dropped her name. On 27 October 2020, Istri Akali Dal president Bibi Jagir Kaur said Farzana had been dropped and Parveen Nusrat, another Muslim candidate, had been appointed as vice-president in her place. Despite this, Shiromani Akali Dal-Badal still continues to hold the authority to appoint the President of the SGPC, and therefore has the indirect power to appoint (or dismiss) the Jathedar of Sri Akal Takhat Sahib.
Only last month, during a Shiromani Akali Dal-Badal conference held on 21 August 2021, the Sikh religious slogan of “Bole So Nihaal” was responded with “Jai Shri Raam” instead of “Sat Sri Akaal”. Yet, Giani Harpreet Singh remained silent on this serious act of disrespect. This inaction of Giani Harpreet Singh, opens the way for others to make anti-Sikh antics.
Sikhs around the world give respect to any individual who has served as a Granthi and done Seva in our holy shrines with sincerity and integrity, and honour an individual Sikh’s religiosity and piety. For a considerable time, the system governing Sri Akal Takhat Sahib and the integrity of the SGPC has been deteriorating, it has been unable to uphold Sikh values and work in the best interests of the Panth, but today, it has reached an all-time low. Many Sikhs feel they can no longer silently watch the Panth being destroyed.
One statement from a group of Sikhs opposing Giani Harpreet Singh stated, “the hijacking of Sri Akal Takhat Sahib and our other Takhats, as well as the SGPC, will never be accepted. This will be made very loud and clear during Giani Harpreet Singh Ji’s UK visit, and we hope all Sangat and Gurdwara Management Committees will join us in this endeavour.”
Sikhs in the UK and around the world are calling for Sri Akal Takhat Sahib to summon, punish and excommunicate the Badal family and all other individuals who have worked to weaken the Panth and undermine the integrity of Sri Akal Takhat Sahib. Giani Harpreet Singh’s silence on this issue or failure to act is considered to reinforce the message that Sri Akal Takhat has been hijacked and that Giani Harpreet Singh is neither independent nor sovereign.