NEW DELHI, Dec 3: Former Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab, Sukhbir Singh Badal has started his penance serving the religious punishment given to him by the highest temporal body of Sikhs in a sacrilege case.
The chief of the Akali Dal sat in a wheelchair at the entrance of the Golden Temple in Amritsar this morning, wearing a plaque around his neck and holding a spear, showed visuals. Mr Badal was attired in the dress of ‘sewadar’, holding a spear in his hand and a plaque in his neck, mentioning confession of his mistakes. Also, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, the rebel Akali Dal leader was seen at Golden Temple performing the penance.
The Akal Takht had on Monday awarded religious punishments for Mr Badal and several other Akali Dal leaders, who were part of the SAD-led government between 2007 and 2017 and were found to be ‘tankhaiya’ or guilty of religious misconduct.
Mr Badal and Sukhdev Dhindsa were directed to perform the duties of a ‘sewadar’, sitting outside the Golden Temple and other Takht’s including Kesgarh Sahib, Damdama Sahib, Darbar Sahib at Muktsar and Fatehgarh Sahib for one hour each for two days. Also, they have been directed to clean the utensils and shoes of devotees. Senior Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia, brother-in-law of Mr Badal, began his sentence by washing utensils at the Golden Temple.
Mr Badal has been sentenced by the Akal Takht to perform as a ‘sewadar’ and given clean duty in the kitchen and toilet at several gurdwaras, including the Golden Temple, for favouring Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim in the 2015 sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib.
The Akal Takht had held Sukhbir Badal guilty of religious misconduct in August for “mistakes committed by the party when it was in power in Punjab from 2007 to 2017” and declared him a “tankhaiya” – an individual found guilty of religious misconduct.
Sukhbir Badal was found guilty by the Akal Takht for using his influence to get Ram Rahim pardoned after the Dera chief was excommunicated by the Sikh body for dressing like Sikh Gurus and performing a ceremony. The sacrilege cases involving Ram Rahim had sparked clashes between Dera followers and Sikhs in Punjab.
Mr Badal had admitted his mistakes and tendered an unconditional apology to the Akal Takht. The quantum of the ‘tankhah‘ was declared yesterday. Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh has also asked the Akali Dal working committee to accept Mr Badal’s resignation as party chief.
The decisions came as a part of punishment from five high priests headed by Akal Takht Jathedar (chief priest) Giani Raghbir Singh, who pronounced the punishment in Amritsar at the meeting of Sikh clergies held to address ‘Panthic’ (Sikh community) and SAD related issues. On August 30, Mr Sukhbir Badal was declared guilty of religious misconduct for several decisions that hurt the sentiments and interests of the Panth (Sikh community) when the SAD was in power between 2007 and 2017 in Punjab.
Mr Badal along with leaders and core committee members of Akali Dal, who were cabinet members in 2015, have been directed to clean the bathrooms at the Golden Temple for an hour from noon. They will take a bath after the cleaning duty and serve langar. His father and former chief minister of Punjab, late Parkash Singh Badal, has also been stripped of the Fakhr-e-Qaum (pride of the Sikh community) honour that was bestowed on him in 2011 for services to the community.
(Manas Dasgupta)