Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj on Sunday alleged that some individuals were discouraging people from participating in the Miri-Piri Khalsa March and claimed that an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) worker thrashed an elderly woman in Tarn Taran for attending the event, a charge denied by the ruling party’s Khemkaran MLA Sarwan Singh Dhun.
Event Context
“I received a phone call from an elderly woman from Amarkot village, who told me that her brother-in-law, who is an AAP worker, thrashed her for participating in the procession. The Tarn Taran SSP should take action,” said the jathedar while addressing devotees at Khadoor Sahib.
The march, organised to mark Miri Piri Day, commenced on July 24 from Akal Takht and will culminate at Takht Damdama Sahib in Talwandi Sabo.
Preventing anyone from visiting a gurdwara, joining a nagar kirtan, or attending a religious event is not only against Sikh tradition but also contrary to the spirit of human rights, the jathedar said.
Refuting the allegations, MLA Dhun said that the Akal Takht jathedar is respected by the entire Sikh community, but he should have investigated the matter before making such remarks.
“It was a minor dispute during which nobody was restrained from attending the event. The individual against whom the jathedar is seeking action also attended the event. The jathedar made a statement after being misguided by a certain Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader,” Dhun said.
Match Outlook
Giani Gargaj said such incidents could not be accepted by the Panth and appealed to the Sikh community to strengthen Panthic institutions by following the teachings of the Guru, fostering brotherhood, and contributing to the community’s progress and prosperity.
On Sunday, the march passed through Sanghe, Naurangabad, Vain Pui, Khadoor Sahib, Gurdwara Damdama Sahib, and Hothian.
