CHANDIGARH: Breaking a 41-year-old tradition of the annual address on the anniversary of Operation Blue Star, Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, the officiating Jathedar (High priest) of the Akal Takht (the highest temporal seat of Sikhs) did not deliver the customary message to the Sikh community.
Instead, he only performed the ardas (prayer), and the event remained peaceful. Notably, he also refrained from felicitating the families of those who died during the operation.
Meanwhile slogans of 'Khalistan Zindabad' were raised by the supporters of Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) and other sikh organisations in the golden temple complex.
Gargaj refrained from delivering the customary address to the Sikh community from the façade of the Akal Takht and did not felicitate the families of those killed during the 1984 Army operation.
The move was seen as an effort to ensure the peaceful observance of the anniversary, especially after Damdami Taksal chief Harnam Singh Dhuma recently objected to such practices. Tensions between Gargaj and several hardline Sikh groups had already been running high in the lead-up to the event.
But during the prayers (ardas) Gargaj touched upon some issues concerning to the community which are otherwise addressed in his annual speech these included the "targeting of Sikhs in India and abroad,” "discrimination against Sikhs" and "Sikh homeland ”.
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami felicitated the Sikh families who had lost their near and dear ones in the operation.
After the anniversary celebrations were over, Dhuma thanked SGPC chief Dhami for avoiding the confrontation in Sikh (Panthic) organisations as he said it sent a positive message to the Sikh community residing across the world that all of them were united. He, along with a large contingent of followers, reached the Akal Takht early today morning, reinforcing the Taksal’s opposition.
Sources said that in the meetings held prior to the blue star anniversary, it was reportedly decided that the Akal Takht Jathedar would not deliver the annual message nor offer the siropa (robe of honour) to the families of those referred to as ‘martyrs.’ But Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami would give the robe of honour.
On the other hand hardliner sikh organisation Dal Khalsa spokesman Kanwar Pal Singh alleged that an understanding has been reached between Dhuma and the officiating Jathedar.
Meanwhile former Jathedar of Akal Takht Jasbir Singh Rode said that till date the Union Government has does not have answer why the holy place of Sikhs (golden temple) was attacked. On raising of slogans, he said that it is nothing new they have always been raised.
Apart from the Damdami Taksal, Sikh Students’ Federation, Dal Khalsa and Nihang Sikh organisations had also expressed their disapproval of the officiating Jathedar conducting the religious ceremony today. Also, Ishar Singh and Inderjit Singh, both sons of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, had announced not to accept the felicitations from Gargaj. Bhindranwale was the 14th head of the Taksal at the time of the operation in 1984.
In March this year Dhuma opposed the appointment of Gargaj, saying that his selection did not follow traditional procedure.
Following extensive damage to the Akal Takht building in the Operation Blue Star, a new building was constructed in 1998-99. Since then, it is for the first time that the Akal Takht Jathedar did not address the Sikh community nor felicitate the families of those killed during the operation.
On the other hand, Dhian Singh Mand the officiating self-appointed parallel Jathedar of Akal Takht appointed during a Sikhs gathering held under the name of Sarbat Khalsa delivered his address to the community from within the Akal Takht complex.