Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday requested the Akal Takht jathedar to allow a live telecast of his appearance before the Akal Takht Secretariat, where he has been summoned on January 15.
In a post on X, Mann claimed he has been receiving messages from all over the world that when he presents his account on January 15 on behalf of the 'Sangat' (Sikh community), it should be telecast live on all television channels.
Referring to the sentiments of the ‘Sangat’, Mann said he has requested the Akal Takht jathedar to allow his clarification to be telecast live so that the community can remain informed about every detail.
“See you on January 15 — with evidence included,” Mann said in the post.
Earlier this week, the acting jathedar of the Akal Takht, Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj, summoned Mann to appear in person before the Takht Secretariat on January 15 to explain his alleged “anti-Sikh” remarks.
Gargajj summoned Mann over his alleged comments on ‘Guru ki Golak’ (the gurdwara donation box) and for allegedly indulging in “objectionable activities” involving images of Sikh Gurus and slain militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.
The jathedar of the highest temporal seat for Sikhs said that while “deliberately” expressing an “anti-Sikh” mentality, Mann repeatedly made “objectionable” comments against the principle of 'Dasvandh’ bestowed by the Sikh Gurus, thereby deeply hurting Sikh sentiments.
Dasvandh is a Sikh practice of donating 10 per cent of one’s earnings as a religious duty.
Gargajj also clarified that since Mann is a ‘patit’—a term used for a Sikh who cuts his hair—and cannot be presented before the Akal Takht Sahib under Sikh tradition, he has been asked to appear before the Akal Takht Secretariat to submit his explanation.
On Monday, Mann said he would comply with the Akal Takht’s directive. “Will not appear as the chief minister but as a humble Sikh, walking barefoot,” Maan had said in a post on X in Punjabi.
Mann’s summoning comes amid an ongoing standoff between the Punjab government and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) over the registration of an FIR related to 328 missing ‘saroops’ (sacred copies) of the Guru Granth Sahib.
SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami has criticised the AAP government over the FIR, accusing it of interfering in the administrative authority of the apex gurdwara body for “political mileage”.
On December 29 last year, Mann said the FIR was lodged following demands from several Sikh organisations for a thorough probe into the missing ‘saroops’ and their recovery.
He also accused the SGPC of failing to trace the 328 missing ‘saroops’ and of using the Akal Takht as a “shield”.
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