CHANDIGARGH: Damdami Taksal sponsored Sarbat Khalsa Convention held at Amritsar on January 26,, removed the Jathethar of Akal Takht, Giani Kirpal Singh and appointed in his place Bhai Jasbir Singh as Akal Takht chief, Bhai Jasbir Singh at this time is lodged in Sagar jail in Madhya Pradesh. In his place, the Sarbat Khalsa appointed Mr. Gurdev Singh Kounke, a Taksal man as the acting head of Akal Takht, The Sarbat Khalsa appointed a five ‘member committee to look after the Panthic affairs. Bhai Bakhshish ‘Singh was appointed the new head priest in place of Gaini Sahib Singh, Gaini Sahib Singh is the head priest of Darbar Sahib. Bhai Bakhshish Singh is head priest of Gurdwara Gurdarsan Prakash at present. The five member committee has Mr. Bachan Singh, Mr. Arur Singh, Mr. Dhanna Singh, Mr. Gurbachan Singh, and Mr. Gurdev Singh as its members. The office of the Akali dal now under the occupation of United Akali Dal and AISSF would be the new secretariat of the Committee, Mr. Jagdev Singh Talwandi was requested by Sarbat Khalsa to hand over the office to the new Committee, The Sarbat Khalsa appealed to the Human Rights Commission and Amnesty International to investigate all cases of genocide and other kinds of di crimination and oppression against Sikhs, The Sarbat Khalsa asked Sikh Intelligentsia to collect all information and material in this connection, The Sarbat Khalsa also asked the Sikhs overseas to expose the government of India’s excesses against the Sikhs, The Sarbat Khalsa meeting was attended by two lakh Sikhs according to a spokesman of the organizers, The main political aim set before the Sarbat Khalsa was the achievement of the Anandpur Sahib Resolution and promises made to Sikhs by the Congress leaders from the time to time.
The Sarbat Khalsa also expressed the view that Sikhs were slaves in India and liberation was their basic right, The Sarbat Khalsa thanked People’s Union for Civil Rights, Democratic Rights, and Citizens People’s Union for Democracy for their sympathetic understanding of the Sikh cause and investigation of excesses against Sikhs, The Sarbat Khalsa strongly condemned the state government led by the Akali Dal-L as well as the government of India. It particularly condemned Mr, Surjit Singh Barnala and Mr, Balwant Singh and Mr. Tohra and described them as traitors and asked all the Sikhs to boycott them, socially and otherwise, The Sarbat Khalsa called upon Sikhs to contribute from their hard earned labor towards rebuilding of Akal Takht. It pledged not to allow anyone connected with the religious adversaries of Sikhism to be associated with the rebuilding of the Akal Takht. The Sarbat Khalsa called upon all Sikhs of Punjab to economically boycott those who were traitors to Punjab and Sikh cause and all the Sikhs to disassociate themselves from such elements. They should not purchase any commodity from these elements nor should they sell anything to them, The Sarbat Khalsa also asked Sikh Intelligentsia to publish journals and newspapers to disseminate correct information so that the aggression on the part of anti-Sikh media and propaganda organ was effectively countered.
The Sarbat Khalsa in particular pledged itself to the task of merging all left out Punjabi speaking area into Punjab. It also stated that the Sikhs and the people of Punjab would not allow water and electricity to be taken away out of the State, It would not allow the peasantry to be subjected to the imperialist out, the Sarbat Khalsa added, The Sarbat Khalsa also added that the efforts would be made to ensure remunerative prices to the farmers. The Sarbat Khalsa expressed the views that S.G.P.C. was in the hands of anti-Sikh elements who were indulged in misdeeds and characterlessness during the army attack on the Harmander Sahib. These elements betrayed the Sikhs and joined and co-operated with the government. Also they said that S.G.P.C. and local committee had! Exhausted their tenure provided in terms of Gurdwara Act. The Sarbat Khalsa therefore refused to accept them as 4 representative bodies. It decided to treat them as dissolved and asked the Sikhs to devise ways and to devise machinery to take over there institutions. A spokesman of the Sarbat Khalsa explained that an ultimatum has been served on the S.G.P.C. management and the government to hold elections to the S.G.P.C, before the next Sarbat Khalsa meeting scheduled for Diwali of this year. If it was not done by that time then there is likelihood of the Sarbat Khalsa self-taking over all organs of the S.G.P.C.
The Sarbat Khalsa also expressed the view that the poll boycott was a mistake. That is why the Sikhs could not avail themselves of the proper opportunity and the result was that the government passed into the hands of the traitorous elements.
According to one information Mr. Gurcharan Singh Tohra tried to disrupt the Taksal but Sant Jarnail Singh’s widow effectively intervened to thwart his efforts. It is also understood that the Sarbat Khalsa was willing to appoint Gaini Puran Singh as head of Akal Takht but due to a small incident ‘he was not appointed to that post. According to information Gaini Puran Singh intervened to restore a gun belonging to the Punjab Chief Minister without taking the members of the AISSF into confidence that Gaini Puran Singh lost their confidence and was not made head of Akal Takhat.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 31, 1986
