Altercation between SGPC and Simranjeet Singh Mann Supporters
AMRITSAR SAHIB, PUNJAB (KP) – Sympathizers of Shiromani Akali Dal (Mann-Amritsar) and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) clashed at Sri Akal Takht Sahib and marred the 30th anniversary commemorations of the bloody 1984 Indian Army attack that claimed thousands of innocent lives.
Dozens of individuals were injured inside the Darbar Sahib complex, as SGPC and pro-Mann Dal supporters clashed with each other at the main observance ceremony that was meant to honor the thousands of Sikhs who had perished during the army raid ordered by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984.
According to the media reports, the clash occurred due to a simple argument over who should address the gathered assembly at Sri Akal Takht Sahib’s court yard. Supporters of Simranjeet Singh Mann claim that the SGPC officials were not allowing Mann to address the gathering.
In the resulting clash, dozens of individuals clashed with each other using unsheathed swords, sticks and other objects and ultimately led to the entry of the Punjab Police in uniform and undercover for several hours in the sacred precincts of the Sri Darbar Sahib complex.
SHAMEFUL BEHAVIOR IN SACRED COMPLEX
The shameful behavior of both the Akali Dal Badal controlled SGPC and the sangat members who clashed with them at the sacred Sri Akal Takht Sahib has tarnished and undermined the commemoration of the 1984 India Army assault on this very complex which resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocent Sikh men, women and children. The incident has been extensively highlighted by national and foreign media outlets.
Perhaps this is exactly what the Indian intelligence agencies had hoped for - diverting the attention away from the colossal genocide and human rights tragedy that occurred 30 years ago at this very site and instead fixate the media's attention towards the weaknesses, infighting, and trivial squabbles within the current Sikh 'leadership'.
Giani Gian Singh, the famous Sikh historian summed up the mindset of this failed Sikh leadership in the following couplets, sadly they still seem to hold true today:
ਧੰਨ ਗੁਰੂ ਕੇ ਸਿੱਖ ਬੁੱਧ ਕੇ ਨਿਕਟ ਨ ਐਹੈਂ - ਧੰਨ ਗੁਰੂ ਸਮਰਥ ਬੈਠ ਇਨਹੂ ਸਮਝਾਇ ਹੈਂ।
ਧੰਨ ਗੁਰੂ ਕੇ ਸਿੱਖ ਮਹਿਖਾਸੁਰ ਖੌਰੂ ਪਾਵੈਂ - ਧੰਨ ਗੁਰੂ ਸਮਰਥ ਕਥਿ ਇਨ ਤਖਤ ਬਹਾਵੈਂ।"
