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Enough Is
Enough
Stop
Sacrilege Now, Sikh Panth Sends Clear Message
WSN Bureau
 After days of
immense patience in the face of highly provocative actions of some
sections of the Ravidasia community, the Sikh panth has finally
decided to show its resolve and tell the wayward elements that
enough is enough.
In a show of
unity and a considered approach to converge energies and send a
clear message to tricky elements often finding some support from the
official Indian establishment, the Sikh clergy, the SGPC, many
panthic organisations and saner elements from Ravidasia community
have now come together.
At a conclave at
village Sarmastpur near Jalandhar, Akal Takht jathedar Giani
Gurbachan Singh made it clear that efforts to take out a portion of
the Gurbani from Sri Guru Granth Sahib and to only propagate that
portion have gone on for far too long and will not be tolerated any
further.
But within 48
hours of the resolute stand taken unitedly by the Akal Takht, the
other Sikh Takhts, the SGPC and the panthic organisations, a major
section of the Ravidasia fraternity seemed to be seeing the logic.
Samaj Bachao Morcha's convenor Sri Gian Chand and other presidium
members of the Morcha convened a press conference on Sunday saying
they strongly oppose segregating the Bani of Bhagat Ravidass ji from
Guru Granth Sahib and it was a nefarious exercise being indulged in
by a very small section.
Gian Chand said
such an approach will only end up constricting and confining the
range of Bhagat Ravidass' message.
Similarly, the
Sri Guru Ravidass Sadhu Sampardai Society, the main organization of
Sants of the Ravidassia community, also asserted full faith and
respect for Sri Guru Granth Sahib and said it was dead against any
decision to remove the birs of Guru Granth Sahib from their shrines
or deras.
Sources said the
message is now reaching those who were leading the movement to
displace Guru Granth Sahib from certain shrines. Sampardai Society
president Sant Nirmal Dass Jaure Wale said the sants of the society
had decided that there could be no getting away from the scripture
that preaches egalitarianism and Sarbat Da Bhala and the
emancipation of those oppressed by the centuries-old caste system.
Addressing the
Sikh sangat on Saturday in the presence of fellow clerics from other
Sikh Takhts, the SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar, Sant Samaj
president Baba Harnam Singh Khalsa, Khalsa Action Committee's Bhai
Mohkam Singh, AISSF's Karnail Singh PeerMohammad and many senior
Akali leaders from different factions, the Akal Takht jathedar took
serious note of sacrilege of Sri Guru Granth Sahib at village Moga
of Bhogpur town in Jalandhar where some crackpot elements had
displaced the bir of Guru Granth Sahib from the palki and instead
placed a picture of a Ravidasia self-styled sant.
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The sick mind
identified
As All India
Sikh Students President Karnail Singh PeerMohammad said a particular
Congress leader, who was a minister in the erstwhile Amarinder Singh
cabinet, was behind the moves of crackpot elements of Ravidasia
community, there was much agreement on it. Clearly, Peer Mohammad
was naming former minister Chowdhry Jagjit Singh who is known for
his communal stance. There seemed to be a general agreement that
such a fellow should be immediately sent behind bars to prevent any
damage to communal harmony.
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Now, sensing the
level of rage among the panthic leaders and the Sikh sangat, certain
people connected with the Moga gurdwara where sacrilege had happened
and who were being named in the episode, approached Damdami Taksal's
Bhai Harnam Singh the evening before the conclave on Saturday and
said they were in no way connected with the sacrilege and would
rather extend cooperation to bring the guilty to book.
Takht Damdama
Sahib jathedar Bhai Balwant Singh Nandgarh hauled the government
over coals saying while those fighting against Sirsa dera's
fraudster baba were being arrested and put behind bars, no action
was being taken against elements committing sacrilege of Guru Granth
Sahib.
The clarion call
to take a stand against those leading a sort of movement to get
removed Sri Guru Granth Sahib from Ravidasia shrines and install
portraits of controversial leaders of the Sachkhand Ballan dera and
recite only the bani of Bhagat Ravidas followed after it became
clear that someone needed to talk sense with a measure of firmness
to the so-called followers of the Ballan dera.
Former Akal
Takht jathedar Bhai Jasbir Singh Rode said it was sad that the SGPC
failed to find out the whole truth in
Vienna.
He said the Akal Takht jathedar should stop looking towards the SGPC
or the Akali Dal leadership and should take his own decisions. "The
fact remains that in
Vienna, the so
called self styled Ballan sect followers were indulging in sacrilege
of Sri Guru Granth Sahib and it was this that led to the clash when
local Sikhs objected to it," he said.
 Now, the Samaj
Bachao Morcha's Gian Chand has said he is trying to remove the
bitterness among all sides. He said there is now increasing
realization that segregating the 40 hymns of Bhagat Ravidass
from rest of the
Gurbani was, advertently or inadvertently, negating the importance
and relevance of the philosophy of Ravidass.
He said the birs
will be brought back at most of the shrines very soon. Sources said
the Ravidasia community leaders in
India
were feeling the pressure from their NRI counterparts in other
countries who were leading the movement to displace the birs. The
SGPC, it was suggested, should take the help of NRI Sikhs to counter
such pressure. One more suspicious element leading the anti-Sikh
charge was the self-styled Ambedkar Sena.
SGPC general
secretary Sukhdev Singh Bhaur said any further step by anyone who
tried to divide the gurbani or take out one portion will not be
allowed and will be firmly put in his place.
23
September 2009
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