The Tribune – Martyrdom of Banda [Singh] Bahadur; Plans afoot to celebrate tercentenary in 2016

Sanjay Bumbroo, Tribune News Service

Fatehgarh Sahib, May 13. Preparations are afoot to celebrate the tercentenary of the martyrdom of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur, the erstwhile Sikh General, in Fatehgarh Sahib in 2016.

Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) president Avtar Singh Makkar said today a procession would start from Nanded Sahib in Maharashtra and culminate here after passing through the towns, which the Sikh General had conquered after fighting the Mughal rulers.

Makkar said no kar sewa would be held during the renovation of Jahaji Haveli of Dewan Todar Mal. Makkar said the SGPC had hired the services of an architect for the restoration of the historic building, the construction of the boundary wall and the landscaping of the area around Jahaji Haveli.

SGPC chief said the construction work of the Baba Banda Singh Bahadur museum was on. Executive Engineer Manpreet Singh, Parmjit Singh and other members of the SGPC were among those present in the meeting.

Banda Bahadur was sent by Guru Gobind Singh to Punjab to punish the cruel rulers of the time. Soon, Sikh forces, under the leadership of Banda Bahadur, killed many tyrants, including Nawab Wazir Khan, who was responsible for mercilessly killing the two younger sons of Guru Gobind Singh.

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The Tribune – Memorial row: Takht chief’s decision final, says SGPC

Perneet Singh, Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 10. Avtar Singh Makkar, SGPC president, today said any decision taken by the Akal Takht chief, Jathedar Gurbachan Singh, on the Operation Bluestar Memorial controversy will be final.

The SGPC and the Damdami Taksal have been at loggerheads for the past couple of weeks with the latter dedicating the memorial to Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.

Talking to mediapersons after the SGPC executive committee meeting here today, Makkar said the issue was pending before the Akal Takht Jathedar. The Taksal had submitted a memorandum to him on the matter.

Emphasising the SGPC would honour any decision taken by the Akal Takht chief, he denied the Taksal’s allegation that SGPC workers had tried to uproot a board mentioning the history of Operation Bluestar.

On the issue of capital punishment to Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar, he said Germany had rightly put pressure on India against executing the death sentence.

He wondered as to why the government could not commute Bhullar’s death sentence when it had done so in the case of Kishori Lal who had butchered 34 Sikhs during the 1984 riots.

Makkar said a world-class Sikh museum would be constructed at a cost of Rs 100 crore at the Akali Market.

He said the langar building in the Golden Temple complex would be renovated with a modern kitchen.

Soon, a linear accelerator machine valued at Rs 12.5 crore would be installed at Shri Guru Ramdas Hospital for the benefit of cancer patients. A building had already been constructed for the purpose at cost of Rs 1 crore.

Makkar said efforts were afoot to enhance the number of MBBS and MD seats at the college.

The number of MBBS seats had already been increased from 100 to 150.

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The Tribune – Panthic bodies oppose voting rights to Sehajdhari Sikhs

Does not the Guru teach us that we will be judged on our deeds ? Did Guru Gobind Singh not teach us to look different (5 Ks & pag) and to be different (good behaviour) ?. This obsession with hair is just another example of the Hindu type thinking that many ‘Sikhs’ suffer from. Just like there are no Sehajdhari Sikhs, there are no Keshdhari Sikhs. A person who does not wear 5 Ks and pag is only a ‘patit’ if she/he took the Khalsa vows of being nirala (different) in both senses as described above and then broke that promise.Harjinder Singh – Man in Blue

Perneet Singh, Tribune News Service

Amritsar, April 15. Even as the Sehajdhari Sikh Party claims to be in talks with Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal over the fate of the new SGPC House and the Sehajdharis’ voting rights, the SGPC and other Sikh organisations have opposed any move to give voting rights to the Sehajdharis.

Talking to The Tribune, SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar said the SGPC was against voting rights being given to the Sehajdharis as there was no concept of a ‘Sehajdhari Sikh’ in Sikhism.

Dal Khalsa spokesperson Kanwarpal Singh accused Sehajdhari Sikh Party president P S Ranu of bluffing, alleging that he made had made his meetings with the Deputy Chief Minister public as he had not been able to “strike a deal with him.”

He alleged that Ranu was deliberately spreading misinformation to trigger ‘disintegration’ in the Sikh rank and file. He said Sukhbir should come clean on Ranu’s claims.

He warned that no Sikh organisation should think about recognising the concept of Sehajdhari Sikhs. All-India Sikh Students’ Federation (AISSF) chief Karnail Singh Peermohammed said the ruling SAD should not enter into any “unholy agreement” with the Sehajdhari Sikh Party, merely to save the new SGPC House.

“Today they are seeking voting rights, tomorrow they will be eying the SGPC management.”

Shiromani Panthic Council chairman M S Calcutta said the reported move to give voting rights to Sehajdharis did not seem logical as the SAD-ruled SGPC had itself got the Sehajdharis Sikhs disenfranchised through a 2003 notification. He said those projecting themselves as Sehajdharis were actually ‘patits’ (apostates).

Noted Sikh scholar Bhai Ashok Singh Bagarian said: “The Sehajdharis want to infiltrate the gurdwara management through politics”. Former SGPC general secretary Bibi Kiranjot Kaur, in whose tenure the Sehajdharis were disenfranchised, said: “the SGPC is neither business, nor politics. Therefore, whatever has to be done must be based on Sikh principles.”

Panthic organisations fear that by giving voting rights to Sehajdharis, the SAD will not only show the SGPC in a bad light but will also end up according recognition to the concept of Sehajdhari Sikhs.

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The Tribune – SGPC not to send jatha to Pakistan

Perneet Singh, Tribune News Service

Amritsar, April 9. The SGPC jatha has been deprived of the opportunity to celebrate Baisakhi at historic gurdwaras in the neighbouring nation as the Pakistan High Commission has denied visa to a majority of the Sikh pilgrims who were part of the SGPC’s list of around 1,400.

However, the High Commission has issued visas to the pilgrims who were part of the DSGMC jatha and other Sikh organisations. The SGPC jatha was to leave for Pakistan tomorrow.

In February, the SGPC had sent a list of around 1,400 pilgrims who wished to visit Pakistan on the occasion of Baisakhi, but the High Commission said they could only give visas to 300 pilgrims, following which the SGPC decided not to send the jatha.

SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar said he had appealed the High Commission to issue visas to 70 to 80 per cent of pilgrims from their list and only then they could send the jatha. He said the denial of visa to a large number of pilgrims hurts the sentiments of the community. He alleged that the Pak High Commission had been continuously discriminating with the SGPC on this count for the past some time. “Every time a sizable number of devotees are denied visa by Pakistan without any reason,” he said.

Meanwhile, a number of pilgrims today reached the SGPC headquarters along with their luggage for the visit, but they were disappointed when they came to know about the Pak High Commission’s move.

On the other hand, the DSGMC has got visas for 171 pilgrims while 14 have been denied the same.

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The Tribune – SGPC to make plan to maintain historical Sikh shrines in Pakistan

Tribune News Service

Fatehgarh Sahib, February 9. The Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) has decided to prepare a comprehensive plan for the maintenance of Sikh shrines in Pakistan.

SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar said this after inaugurating the five-day ‘Inspire’ internship camp sponsored by the Department of Science and Technology at Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Engineering College here today.

Makkar said the decision had been taken after the recent judgment of the Pakistan Supreme Court fixing responsibility of the government there for the maintenance of religious institutions of the minorities. He said they would present the draft proposal to the Pakistani authorities so that ‘kar sewa’ of Sikh shrines could be taken up as early as possible. He said the SGPC was also ready to provide funds for the repair of the shrines.

Makkar said a five-member committee had been constituted by the SGPC for the purpose. The committee includes Punjabi University Vice-Chancellor Dr Jaspal Singh and historian Dr J S Grewal. SGPC secretary Roop Singh is the co-coordinator of the panel.

He said the elections to the president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee would be held on February 25.

Lashing out at the Sarna brothers for objecting to the Nanakshahi calendar, he said he hoped those objecting to the calendar would accept the ‘hukumnama’ issued by the Akal Takht.

Earlier while addressing students, Makkar said science played an important role in each and every sphere of our lives and that it was a tool to decode beautiful principles put in place by nature.

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The Tribune – Makkar: New DSGMC to look into bunglings by Sarna team

Amritsar, February 1. Avtar Singh Makkar, SGPC chief, today said he would be visiting Pakistan next month to hold talks with the Pakistan Government for streamlining the management of gurdwaras in that country.

Talking to mediapersons, he said the SAD victory in the DSGMC elections had paved the way for the implementation of the amended Nanakshahi Calendar in Pakistan gurdwaras. The Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) had been following the original calendar till now.

Makkar said the new DSGMC body would look into financial irregularities committed by the earlier team headed by Paramjit Singh Sarna. He mentioned the coming up of a hospital on Gurdwara Bala Sahib premises in this regard. He said Sarna should apologise to the Akal Takht for defying its directions. (TNS)

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The Tribune – Makkar: SGPC will reconstruct historic monuments in state

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, January 2. Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Avtar Singh Makkar today said Chamkaur di Garhi, the site of the martyrdom of Sahibzada Ajeet Singh and Sahibzada Jujhar Singh, would be reconstructed with “a touch of originality to the historic site”.

Talking to mediapersons here, Makkar said they would also reconstruct Thanda Burj (cold tower) at Fatehgarh Sahib where Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh attained martyrdom.

“A four-member panel has been constituted to erect the burj creating a feel of that particular period of history. The panel comprises noted historian Prof Kirpal Singh, Vice Chancellor of Punjabi University Dr Jaspal Singh, former Vice Chancellor of Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) Dr Prithipal Singh Kapur and historian Dr JS Grewal. SGPC secretary Roop Singh will be the coordinator of the panel.

Makkar said they would chart out the future course of action once the committee submitted its report to him. He said the SGPC was already reviving Guru-ka-Bagh and Gurdwara Charan Kanwal Sahib in Machhiwara by planting trees keeping in mind the olden times.

In another initiative, the SGPC will also open a school for the deaf and dumb children at Gurdwara Alamgir, Ludhiana, he revealed.

About the forthcoming Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) elections, Makkar said the SAD’s (Shiromani Akali Dal) agenda for the elections would only be released by party president Sukhbir Singh Badal.

Lashing out at the Sarna brothers for the Gurdwara Bala Sahib episode and violent clash at Gurdwara Rakabganj, he said the electorate would give them a befitting reply with their mandate. He said they would restore transparency in gurdwara affairs in New Delhi after being voted to power in the DSGMC polls.

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The Tribune – SGPC seeks to reconstruct 450-yr-old shrine

Sanjay Bumbroo, Tribune News Service

Fatehgarh Sahib, September 15. Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) has renewed its efforts to reconstruct the 450-year-old gurdwara Gyan Godhri at its original place near Har-ki Pauri in Haridwar.

The SGPC has once again sought an appointment with Uttarakhand Chief Minister through local MLA Harbhajan Singh Cheema to resolve the issue.

SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar, who was in town for the installation ceremony of Guru Granth Sahib at Sri Guru Granth Sahib World University, said two delegations of the committee had already visited Uttarakhand earlier. But with the change of guard in the Uttarakhand government, the matter could not proceed further, he added.

The 450-year-old gurdwara Gyan Godhri was set up at Har-ki-Pauri in memory of Guru Nanak Dev who visited the place in 1504-05. The Sikh community in the hilly state of Uttarakhand had been demanding that the shrine, which was demolished during 1984 anti-Sikh riots, should be restored at its original place.

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The Tribune – Audit report indicts Ahluwalia

Sanjay Bumbroo, Tribune News Service

Fatehgarh Sahib, September 3. Chandigarh-based auditors MS Kohli Associates and Satnam Namita Associates submitted their report on the alleged financial irregularities by suspended VC of Sri Guru Granth Sahib World University (SGGSWU) to the SGPC chief today. Sources said the audit team had indicted Ahluwalia, listing irregularities in the use of funds for purchasing construction material.

The SGPC will submit the report to the Punjab and Haryana High Court on September 5. Ahluwalia, who was suspended in July on the charges of embezzlement, has accused Makkar of coercing him into justifying 92 illegal appointments made in 2011 when he (Ahluwalia) was on medical leave.

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The Tribune – Wisconsin killing; Family awaits US nod to fly body to India

Deepkamal Kaur, Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, August 18. Family members of 56-year-old Dalbir Singh who was gunned down at his departmental store at Milwaukee three days ago have been awaiting clearance from the US government for bringing his body to his native Talwandi village in Kapurthala.

They said they were in touch with their relatives in the US for updates on the matter. Victim’s mother Harbans Kaur and sisters Surinder Kaur and Paramjit Kaur have sought that Dalbir’s body be brought to India for his last rites.

Dalbir’s brother-in-law Capt Balkar Singh said: “My nephew Dilbagh Singh (victim’s son) has told us that the authorities may give permission to send the body to India on Monday”.

The kin also seemed relieved a bit after TV channels started flashing news that Dalbir’s suspected killer, a 16-year-old boy, had been arrested. Deangelo Williams, the alleged shooter, is also said to have been identified by Jatinder Singh, deceased’s nephew, who was with him at the time of the incident.

The incident has led to resentment among the Sikhs across the globe. Dalbir was a member of the management committee of the Wisconsin gurdwara where a gunman opened fire on August 5. Dalbir had returned home minutes before the shoot-out took place in which six persons were killed.

Makkar writes to PM

Amritsar: The killing of Oak Creek gurdwara member Dalbir Singh within a couple of weeks of a shootout at the shrine has shocked the Sikh community in India and abroad.

SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar has condemned the incident and appealed to the US government to curb such instances. He has also shot off a missive to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, urging him to immediately take up the matter with the US administration.

Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh said the US administration should ensure the safety of the Sikh community. Dal Khalsa leader Kanwarpal Singh said the latest killing had led to panic among the Sikhs. (TNS)

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