Tribune News Service
Ludhiana December 18. The tug-of-war over appointing the successor to late Satguru Jagjit Singh took an ugly turn today when members of the International Namdhari Sangat took to the streets here today.
Namdhari sect head Jagjit Singh had died on December 13 and his nephew Thakur Uday Singh was appointed the successor on December 16.
The International Namdhari Sangat, however, wanted Uday Singh’s brother Thakur Dalip Singh appointed as the new Satguru. The Sangat had even appealed to Jagjit Singh’s widow Chand Kaur to reconsider the decision to appoint Uday Singh as the new head.
The International Sangat members today burnt an effigy of Namdhari Darbar (Bhaini Sahib) president H S Hanspal and vice-president Surinder Lyal at Vishvakarma Chowk here. The activists alleged that Hanspal and Lyal were trying to create factionalism among the Namdhari Sangat over succession.
International Namdhari Sangat president Navtej Singh said Hanspal and Lyal allegedly had vested interests in appointing Uday Singh as the new head. “Hanspal and Lyal want to become politically important and, therefore, have appointed Uday Singh as the sect head. Both are indirectly trying to divide the Namdharis,” he said.
Navtej alleged that both these leaders had committed a sin by ignoring Jagjit Singh’s desire and announcing Uday Singh as the Satguru instead of Dalip Singh. He claimed that a majority of the Namdhari Sangat was in Dalip Singh’s favour and that Hanspal and Lyal had allegedly ignored the mass feeling.
When questioned on the issue, Lyal said the International Namdhari Sangat was a “fake organisation”. “There is no confusion over succession as Chand Kaur herself had announced Uday Singh as the new Satguru. A section of the Sangat is trying to defame the Namdhari sect,” he added.
Hanspal, however, refused to comment on the issue.
