CHANDIGARH: The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has banned the portrayal of Sikh gurus and their family members in any kind of film so that religious sentiments are not hurt.
The decision was taken at the Dharam Prachar Committee (DPC) meeting held on Tuesday in Amritsar, which was presided over by SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami. It was also decided to form a joint committee of representatives of the SGPC and Nihang organizations to mark 200 years of Sikh general Baba Phula Singh’s martyrdom.
Dhami referred to the ongoing trend of films being made on Sikh gurus and their family members and said there has been resentment among the Sikh Sangat (public) over the issue, and objections from various religious societies and the public had been reaching the SGPC regularly. The ban will be in effect until further decision.
The SGPC had a few days back requested the Punjab government to ban the release of the Punjabi film Dastaan-E-Sirhind, which depicted the life of the four sahibzadas (sons of 10th Sikh guru, Gobind Singh).
“Several organizations and members of the Sikh community are raising protests to demand a ban on this film,” Dhami had then said.
In 2018, the Akal Takht (the highest temporal body of the Sikhs) banned the Punjabi film Nanak Shah Fakir and in 2019 another film, Dastaan-E-Miri Piri, ran into trouble but was later allowed after some references were removed. In 2014, the animated Punjabi film Chaar Sahibzaade was released after getting permission from the SGPC.
Meanwhile, Dhami said the SGPC and Nihang organizations will jointly plan events to be held to mark the anniversary of Baba Phula Singh’s martyrdom, which falls in March 2023. The events will feature Sikh religious preachings, for which a special van has been prepared to take the preachers from village to village, who will also inform people about Sikh history, principles and code of conduct.
According to Dhami, special focus will be given to the border areas for the campaign. The van was flagged off by Dhami on Tuesday. It will operate under the supervision of Shaheed Sikh Missionary College, Amritsar.