Khalistan = Hindu Rashtra: Akal Takht Chief Giani Harpreet Singh
Khalistan = Hindu Rashtra: Akal Takht Chief Giani Harpreet Singh
Since Punjab is facing an unprecedented turmoil under the Bhagwant Mann regime, many Sikhs demand a properly governed state Khalistan so that peace and prosperity could be brought back to Punjab.
By Rakesh Raman
Akal Takht chief Giani Harpreet Singh has said that the demand for Khalistan by Sikhs is equivalent to the call for establishing Hindu Rashtra in India. Located in the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) complex in Amritsar, Punjab, India, the Akal Takht is the highest temporal body of the Sikh community.
In his speech on March 27, Giani Harpreet Singh said that the stringent laws such as the National Security Act (NSA) are being used to arrest Sikhs who demand a separate Sikh state Khalistan. He added that the same laws should also be applied to those who give open calls to make India a Hindu Rashtra.
In fact, the government of prime minister (PM) Narendra Modi is accused of making India a Hindu Rashtra where other minorities like Sikhs, Muslims, and Christians will be persecuted and will not enjoy equal rights.
In the ongoing unrest in Punjab, the government of chief minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann – in collusion with the Modi government – is incarcerating Sikhs arbitrarily under the NSA and other harsh laws.
ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੇ ਮੌਜੂਦਾ ਹਾਲਾਤ ਸਬੰਧੀ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ ਤਖ਼ਤ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਵਿਖੇ ਹੋਈ ਇਕੱਤਰਤਾ ਸਮੇਂ ਜਥੇਦਾਰ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ ਤਖਤ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਗਿਆਨੀ ਹਰਪ੍ਰੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ ਜੀ ਦਾ ਸੰਬੋਧਨ@J_Harpreetsingh #SGPCAmritsar #SriAkalTakhtSahib #GianiHarpreetSinghJi #Sikhs pic.twitter.com/EJuSvB2p9i
— Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (@SGPCAmritsar) March 27, 2023
Since Punjab is facing an unprecedented turmoil under the Bhagwant Mann regime, many Sikhs demand a properly governed state Khalistan so that peace and prosperity could be brought back to Punjab.
Giani Harpreet Singh also issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the Punjab Government to release Sikh people arrested during the ongoing crackdown against Amritpal Singh who is leading a social reform group ‘Waris Punjab De’ (or inheritors of Punjab).
Punjab Police claimed that Amritpal Singh escaped when police were chasing him on March 18, although social and political activists believe that the Sikh leader is in police custody and the police might kill him in a fake encounter.
Giani Harpreet Singh asked the Punjab Government to produce Amritpal Singh if he is in the police custody and urged him to appear before the authorities if he is absconding.
The Akal Takht chief also directed the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) – a top representative organization of Sikhs – to take legal action against those officers who are terrorizing Sikhs in the state.
By Rakesh Raman, who is a national award-winning journalist and social activist. He is the founder of the humanitarian organization RMN Foundation which is working in diverse areas to help the disadvantaged and distressed people in the society.
