Has the Congress Party, Responsible for the Brutal June 1984 Attack, Been Forgiven by Sri Akal Takht Sahib? : Ravi Inder Singh

Has the Congress Party, Responsible for the Brutal June 1984 Attack, Been Forgiven by Sri Akal Takht Sahib? : Ravi Inder Singh

Chandigarh 31 July ( Ranjeet Singh Dhaliwal ) : Former Speaker of the Punjab Legislative Assembly and Patron of Shiromani Akali Dal Punar-Surjit, Ravi Inder Singh, in a written statement, raised serious questions and asked whether the Congress Party, which was responsible for the destruction of Sri Akal Takht Sahib in June 1984 and the genocide of the Sikh community in November 1984, has now received a clean chit from Sri Akal Takht Sahib. Ravi Inder Singh said that every year on June 6, while commemorating Operation Blue Star, an Ardas is offered stating, “The tyrannical Congress government attacked the most sacred shrine of the Sikhs with cannons and tanks.” He said this is an undeniable historical truth and cannot be denied under any pretext.

However, he questioned the manner in which Congress MLAs were allowed to enter the Sri Akal Takht Sahib Secretariat on June 29 and openly address the gathering. He said this gives the impression that the Congress Party has been forgiven for its alleged sins. He further said that the Congress MLAs have now also been granted permission by the Jathedar Sahib to participate in the proceedings of the Legislative Assembly, as if they were deeply devout Sikhs who were required to act only according to the directions of Sri Akal Takht Sahib. Ravi Inder Singh recalled that Sikh thinker Dr. Bhagwan Singh had raised this serious issue and, on July 4, written a letter to the Head Granthi of Sri Darbar Sahib requesting a review of the matter. Although no action has reportedly been taken on the letter so far, it was published in newspapers and cited historical references explaining that when a Sikh who had collaborated with a government appeared before Sri Akal Takht Sahib, he would first appear before the Panj Singh Sahibans and receive tankhah (religious disciplinary punishment), after which his views would be heard.

Dr. Bhagwan Singh had cited the example of Bhai Shahbeg Singh, who, at the Sarbat Khalsa gathering held on Vaisakhi in 1733, came with an offer of Nawabship from Zakariya Khan. Because of his association with the government, he was first subjected to tankhah by the Panj Pyare, and only thereafter was his matter heard. Similarly, at the Sarbat Khalsa gathering held on November 14/16, 1920, Bhai Teja Singh Mastuana had to undergo correction for referring to himself as a Sant, while Sunder Singh Majithia had to undergo correction for his collaboration with the British government. Ravi Inder Singh said that in modern times, the greatest alleged crime was committed by the Congress government in June 1984, when Sri Akal Takht Sahib was attacked with cannons and tanks and thousands of women, children, elderly people and young people were allegedly killed by gunfire. He said that similar atrocities were repeated in November 1984, when organized attacks were carried out across the country and Sikhs were burned alive by placing tyres around their necks.

He said the Congress Party has never apologized to the Sikh community for these alleged atrocities. If Congress MLAs were invited to Sri Akal Takht Sahib, then according to Sikh religious tradition, they should first have appeared before the Panj Singh Sahibans and undergone tankhah. However, he said, nothing of this kind happened during the proceedings. Instead, the Singh Sahibans gave them a full opportunity to speak, and the Congress MLAs allegedly used the Sri Akal Takht Sahib Secretariat as a platform to express their political grievances. Ravi Inder Singh further said that the Singh Sahib has now also granted permission to Congress MLAs, at their request, to participate in the Legislative Assembly session. He said that this entire cooperation gives the impression that the Congress Party may have formed an alliance with the Badal faction.

He emphasized that Sri Akal Takht Sahib is a common and revered institution of the entire Sikh community and cannot be used by any one faction for narrow political interests or personal political vendettas. He therefore urged the Jathedar Sahib to clarify the situation and answer whether, merely because of opposition to the present government, the grave sins allegedly committed by previous governments have now been forgiven. Ravi Inder Singh also appealed to Panthic organizations and Sikh scholars to raise their voice on this issue.