CHANDIGARH: As the 41st anniversary of Operation Blue Star approaches on June 6 (Friday), the situation remains tense due to the possibility of the protest at the Akal Takht (Highest Temporal seat of Sikhs).
The officiating Jathedar (High Priest) Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj is likely to address the sikh community on the anniversary.
The Sikh hardliner group Damdami Taksal's chief, Harnam Singh Dhumma, has demanded that the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) should stop Gargaj from doing so, as he has not been accepted by the Sikh community as the Jathedar.
Also, Nihang announced that they will not allow it to happen.
Thus, SGPC is worried as it may be challenging to maintain peace during the commemoration. Meanwhile, SGPC is trying to strike a compromise to defuse the issue.
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami had recently visited the headquarters of Taksal at Gurdwara Gurdarshan Parkash at Chowk Mehta village.
A meeting that lasted for over one and a half hours to strike a compromise, assured that the issue would be resolved before the event.
Hoping for an amicable solution, Dhami said that a meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere.
Meanwhile, Takshal's chief Dhumma does not want Gargaj to deliver the customary speech on June 6, as various Sikh bodies have not approved his appointment.
"SGPC has never indulged in confrontation with Damdami Taksal. I hope an amicable solution will be worked out before the anniversary,’’ he said.
Dhumma, who is now close to the Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP) following his support to the saffron party's Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra last November, has been reiterating that if Gargaj addresses the gathering, it will vitiate the atmosphere.
He added that they do not want any clash during the event and are fully ready to cooperate with the SGPC.
However, he said that they have been appealing that SGPC should appoint a Jathedar who is approved by the community and highlighted that the Gargaj is not approved by everyone.
"If a conflicting situation arises on that occasion, the responsibility will lie with the president of the SGPC,” he asserted.
Also, the chiefs of various Nihang organisations have decided after a meeting that it is not right for Gargaj to address the community on June 6 and if he does so, they will oppose it.
Shiromani Panth Akali Buddha Dal 96 Crori’s chief Baba Balbir Singh, Baba Avtar Singh of Dal Panth, Baba Bidhi Chand Sursingh and other factions said that all the Sikh bodies are together on the issue.
Already, the kin of slain militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale had said that he was not in favour of accepting the robe of honour (siropa) from Gargaj.
On the other hand, Gargaj appealed to the entire Sikh community to commemorate these days with the spirit of panthic unity and pay respectful homage to the 'martyrs'.
He met Balwant Singh Rajoana, a hardliner and a convict on death row for the assassination of former Punjab CM Beant Singh on June 3.
He claimed that Rajoana conveyed a message that the Akal Takht was supreme and its decorum should be maintained, and informed that Rajoana had stressed that no action should be taken that affects the status of the temporal seat.
"The June 6 anniversary event should be observed with respect. All Sikhs must remain committed to upholding the dignity and sanctity of Akal Takht,’’ he said.
Senior Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia on June 3 backed Giani Gargaj and said the June 6 event should be observed without any disruption.
Earlier, General Secretary of the party, Parambans Singh Romana, also took a dig at Dhumma. "The community pays tribute to the martyrs of the army action at Sri Darbar Sahib these days, but Baba Harnam Singh Dhumma is trying to torpedo the events being organised in this regard. On whose dictate is this being done?”, Romana asked on X.