Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Monday urged the Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, to allow a live telecast of his appearance at the Takht on January 15. Mann made the request through a post on social media platform X, saying that Sikhs from across the world have been asking for the proceedings to be broadcast live.
In his post, Mann said he has been receiving messages from the global Sikh sangat demanding transparency when he presents the account of the golak before the Akal Takht. Respecting the sentiments of the sangat, he said he was formally requesting the Jathedar to allow a live broadcast of his clarification so that devotees remain connected moment by moment with the proceedings and the financial details. “See you on January 15 with all proofs,” Mann wrote.
However, Mann’s demand for a live telecast has drawn sharp reaction from the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. SGPC member Gurcharan Singh Grewal said the Akal Takht Jathedar must have felt something serious, which is why the Chief Minister was summoned. He said the matter should not be given a political colour and added that when someone appears before the Akal Takht, conditions should not be imposed. He also said the documents to be presented before the Takht would become part of history.
AAP leader Babbi Badal, however, supported the Chief Minister’s request. He said Mann had only made a humble appeal for a live telecast. Referring to past instances, he said earlier Akali leaders had appeared before the Akal Takht and those proceedings became public. He said the sangat has the right to know why the Chief Minister has been summoned and what questions are being asked and answered.
The controversy dates back to objections raised by the Akal Takht Jathedar over shabad singing by Punjabi singer Jasbir Jassi. The Jathedar had said Jassi was not a full Sikh and therefore should not perform shabad kirtan. Reacting to this, Mann had remarked that if this logic was applied, then restrictions should also be imposed on patit Sikhs from bowing before the Guru Granth Sahib and making offerings in the golak.
Following Mann’s remarks, the Akal Takht Jathedar expressed strong displeasure, terming the comments on the Guru’s golak and the concept of daswandh as objectionable. The Jathedar also raised concerns over the lack of action in the Bargari sacrilege case and the Maur bomb blast case. In addition, he objected to a video in which Mann was allegedly seen making inappropriate gestures alongside pictures of the Sikh Gurus and Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Mann was subsequently asked to appear before the Akal Takht secretariat on January 15.
After being summoned, Mann said he would present himself before the Akal Takht as a humble Sikh and accept its authority. He also announced that he would skip President Droupadi Murmu’s programme at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, on the same day. “The order from Sri Akal Takht Sahib is above everything. I will go barefoot, not as a Chief Minister but as a humble Sikh,” he had said.
The Sri Akal Takht Sahib is the highest temporal seat of Sikhs and the oldest among the five Takhts. Established in 1606 by Guru Hargobind Sahib, it symbolises the concept of miri and piri, where religious and temporal authority coexist. Any hukamnama issued from the Akal Takht is binding on Sikhs across the world.
So far, three Chief Ministers have appeared before the Akal Takht. Bhim Sen Sachar became the first Chief Minister to do so in 1955 following the Punjabi Suba agitation. Former Chief Minister Surjit Singh Barnala was declared tankhaiya in 1986 over Operation Black Thunder and underwent religious punishment while in office. Parkash Singh Badal appeared before the Akal Takht in 1979 during his second term as Chief Minister following the Nirankari controversy.
