GUJARWAL (LUDHIANA): Akali politics took a serious turn on Oct. 7, when Akali leaders decided to launch a protest morcha from Nov.1, for maintaining the sanctity of the holy Guni Granth Sahib being violated by the Punjab police.
Top Sikh leaders Tohra, Parkash Singh Badal, Simranjit Singh Mann, Jagdey Singh Talwandi, Kartar Singh Narang, Manjit Singh, Kabul Singh and Harcharan Singh Rode unanimously took the decision to organize the morcha.
A Sikh jatha led by president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Gurcharan Singh Tohra, would leave Amritsar for courting arrest in New Delhi, probably at Parliament House. The morcha would be joined by more jathas en route to the Capital.
In case of the arrest of one jatha, jathas Ted by other Sikh leaders would carry on. The Sikh morcha, launched after a decade, would be preceded by series of four Akhand paths to be organized at the Takht Sri Damdama Sahib (Bathinda), Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib (Anandpur Sahib), Gurdwara Rakab Ganj (Delhi) and the Akal Takht (Amritsar). ‘This was announced by Tohra, at a congregation in Manji Sahib Gurdwara, at Gujarwal village, where the police had allegedly committed sacrilege of the Granth Sahib on Sept.15 last. Acting jathedar of the Akal Takht Manjit Singh and spokesman of the Damdami Taksal, Mohkam Singh, urged the people to ensure their wholehearted participation to make the morcha a success. The dates of the Akhand paths, strength of the jatha and its exact point of destination and date remain yet to be decided. Tohra said that the morcha would be completely peaceful; He remarked that the Government would be committing another blunder if it banned the launch of the morcha on Nov.1, which was also the birth anniversary of the fourth Sikh Guru, Ram Dass.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 15, 1993
