A day before the Panthic congregation scheduled for July 5 by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) in connection with the controversial viral video involving Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in Amritsar, devotees arriving at the Golden Temple under a state government scheme were asked to remove Mann's photograph before entering the holy shrine.
The devotees arriving at the Golden Temple under the “Mukhyamantri Teerth Yatra Yojana” were asked to remove identity cards bearing the Chief Minister's photograph since the Akal Takht had earlier declared Mann “Guru Dokhi” and “Khalsa Panth Virodhi.”
A large number of devotees from across the state visit the Golden Temple under the government-sponsored pilgrimage scheme to pay their obeisance. However, Sikh activists associated with the Awaaz-e-Qaum organization, led by Nobeljit Singh, raised strong objections when they noticed that many devotees were wearing identification cards carrying CM Mann’s photograph. They argued that since the Akal Takht had declared the Chief Minister “Guru Dokhi,” pilgrims should not enter the temple complex wearing identity cards displaying his image.
Sources said the activists asked a group of devotees to remove their identity cards before proceeding into the shrine. The devotees complied with the request and removed the cards.
However, some of them said that the identity cards were issued by the government solely for identification during the journey so that members of the group could be easily recognized and would not get separated, and that the cards served no other purpose.
On June 15, the Akal Takht declared Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann “Guru Dokhi” and “Khalsa Panth Virodhi.” The announcement was made by acting Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj from the podium of the Takht.