Akal Takhat along with Harmandir Saheb is regarded as the fountain head of Sikh spiritual temporal authority; It is also regarded as the seat of the political power of the community. All important issues affecting the Sikh community have been discussed at the Akal Takhat and decisions taken which have affected the course of Sikh history. The current Sikh struggle began here in 1982 when important Sikh leaders took a vow at the Akal Takhat to make the agitation a success. In June 1984, activists of the Damdami Taksal and Babbar Khalsa, led by Sant Bhindranwale and Gen Shabeg Singh, defying the Army’s entry into the Golden Temple complex, faced the onslaught of the Indian Army and its supporting tanks, The Akal Takhat was destroyed after Sant Bhinderanwale and Gen Shabeg Singh along with Bhai Amrik Singh and many young Sikhs became martyrs. However the destruction of the Akal Takhat by the Indian Army awakened the Sikhs all over the world and therein started a new chapter in the Sikh struggle. The call for Khalistan was raised as Sikhs within India could not be expected to breathe freely. They realized that Hindu India would always try to destroy their religion and culture. Bhai Sukhdev Singh and his Babbar Khalsa men escaped from the Army dragnet and continued the militant struggle from outside until he too embraced martyrdom years later.
The Akal Takhat Jathedar is always selected after much deliberation. The office is much venerated and associated with great Sikh Shaheeds like Baba Deep Singh. The Jathedar wields immense authority with the Sikh masses. In 1982, a convention of intellectuals and prominent Sikhs advised the Shrimoni Akali Dal to nominate Sant Bhindranwale as Jathedar of Akal Takhat, but the idea didn’t find favor with the Akal leadership. They feared the growing power of Sant Bhindranwale. A controversy continued until 1986, when the Sikh congregation decided to nominate Baba Gurbachan Singh Manochahal as Jathedar. Baba Manochahal was then, as now living underground. For some time many other names cropped up and some important Sikhs served as jathedars. The Sikh movement, until June 1984, was essentially an over ground one. A popular movement aimed at securing within the Indian union a region for Sikhs with sufficient autonomous powers. It underwent a qualitative change following operation “Blue Star”. The Indian state through a conscious decision, forced the Sikhs into an armed fight. The Akali Dal became irrelevant. This essential reality remained unchanged, even though the Akali Dal returned a majority in the 1985 elections to the state Assembly. Soon after the traditional Sikh over ground political groups were marginalized. Militant groups and their ideology occupied the center stage of Sikh politics. That is why an overwhelming majority of Punjabis and almost 99% Sikhs boycotted the February 1992 elections to the state Assembly. There was a sharp setback to the Sikh movement in 1992 when the Indian state stepped up repression and killed hundreds of leading Sikh activists. As things are it will take quite some time for Sikh militant leaders and cadres to regroup themselves to resume the fight. Obviously, the militant movement will have to do a lot of homework and house Cleaning to regain the amount of mass confidence they have enjoyed in the past.
A few leaders of the traditional Akali Dal were sensitive enough to understand that they would have to live in cooperation, rather than in confrontation, with militant activists, and they agreed to nominate Bhai Ranjit Singh, a militant, as Jathedar of Akal Takhat. This represented a complete reversal of the Akali stand when they were not willing to agree to the Akal Takhat headship for Sant Bhindranwale. True, Bhai Ranjit Singh was at this Stage alienated from Sant Bhindranwale, but Bhai Ranjit Singh represented militant ideology. In line with this, the traditional Akalis also agreed last year to accept formally the political leadership of militants. In other words, almost all Sikh groups veered round to the stand in favor of Khalistan in March 1992. it is disingenuous that a leading functionary of Akali Dal (Badal) claimed recently that the group never favored Khalistan. This about-face in reality represents a change of heart there is nothing new in the situation, Bhai Ranjit Singh has been in prison for more than a decade now. He could not function all these years. Now the S.G.P.C leaders realized the absence of Bhai Ranjit Singh as an effective functionary at Akal Takhat? Obviously, there have been changes in the political scenario; the Akalis think they have an opportunity to remerge on the center stage of Sikh politics after the armed Sikh movement received setbacks in recent months. The Akali leaders appear to be mistaken in their belief. At best there may be a period of a void in the leadership. The Akalis have a chance of sharing the Sikh political center stage only if they ally themselves with the essential minimum elements of the struggle, namely the movement for human nights. Since most Akalis are too impatient with their current out of. Power position, they are unlikely to take up the only viable agenda; the Struggle for human rights against the Indian state and its growing militarization and fundamentalism. In any case, Prof Manjit Singh has so far shown no promise that he will opt for the human rights agenda, His initial statements inspire no confidence. He talks in abstractions and vagueness. He appears to be apolitical, it is yet to be seen whether Prof Manjit Singh can live up to the challenge of his esteemed office and provide inspiring leadership to Sikhs in these turbulent days.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 19, 1993
