July 1: On Monday, rebel leaders from the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) appeared before the Jathedar of the Akal Takht, seeking forgiveness for mistakes made during their party’s time in power. The leaders handed over an apology letter to Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh at the Akal Takht Secretariat in the Golden Temple, Amritsar. The Akal Takht is the highest temporal authority of the Sikhs.
In their letter, the leaders expressed remorse for four significant errors committed during the former SAD regime from 2007 to 2017. These included the failure to punish those responsible for the 2015 sacrilege incidents and the controversial pardon of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a 2007 blasphemy case.
The rebel leaders acknowledged that these mistakes caused a rift between the Sikh community and the Akali Dal, leading to both religious and political setbacks for the party. They affirmed their readiness to accept any punishment in accordance with Sikh tenets.
The apology comes amid internal strife within SAD, with senior party members calling for the resignation of party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal following the party’s poor performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections. Prominent rebel leaders, including former MP Prem Singh Chandumajra, former SGPC chief Bibi Jagir Kaur, ex-MLA Gurpartap Singh Wadala, former Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa, and party leader Sucha Singh Chhotepur, presented themselves before the Akal Takht jathedar.
Referring to the sacrilege incidents, the leaders criticized the Akali government, and specifically then Home Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, for failing to ensure timely investigation and punishment of the culprits. This failure, they said, led to further unrest in Punjab, including the tragic incidents at Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan.
The letter emphasized the deep outrage within the Sikh community over the 2015 sacrilege incidents and highlighted the party’s inability to address these issues effectively, contributing to its current challenges both politically and within the community.
