Damdami Taksal holds protest over removal of jathedars

The Damdami Taksal and other Sikh bodies on Friday staged a protest outside the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) headquarters at Golden Temple complex in Amritsar over the unceremonious removal of the Takht jathedars.

The protest come after a call by Sikh seminary Damdami Taksal chief Harnam Singh Dhumma. The protesters gave the committee an ultimatum to revoke the decision by April 15, failing which they will chalk out further course of action.

The protesters gathered at the Golden Gate, the main entry point of Amritsar, and marched towards the Golden Temple. In view of the protest, Police deployed hundreds of personnel at key points en route the Sikh shrine.

While the police did put up barricades, the protesters were allowed to approach the head office. However, they were stopped at barricades a few yards from the Teja Singh Samundri Hall, headquarters of the SGPC. The protesters carried banners, flags and placards, demanding reinstatement of removed jathedars.

The protesters handed over a memorandum and three resolutions passed by them to SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami.

In one of the resolutions, they demanded that appointment and retirement of jathedars be made after taking all Sikh organisations, sects, seminaries and nihang bodies into confidence.

Some members from opposition of SGPC general house joined the protesters after the budget session. The rebel Akali leaders, who are conducting recruitment of the SAD as per December 2 decree of the Akal Takht, gave the protest a miss.

On allegations that pro-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders were backing the protest, Dhumma said, “They took the wrong decision and are now blaming the ruling party at the Centre, a party SAD was in alliance with for 30 years.”