The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has stated that the decision to convene a “sarbat khalsa” congregation is the responsibility of the Akal Takht chief. The statement was made in response to fugitive radical preacher Amritpal Singh’s request for such a meeting to address issues affecting the Sikh community.
In two video messages posted on social media, Amritpal Singh appealed to the Akal Takht jathedar to call a “sarbat khalsa” congregation and to hold it in Bathinda on Baisakhi day. SGPC General Secretary Gurcharan Singh Grewal responded by saying that the decision to convene such a meeting is the sole prerogative of the Akal Takht jathedar.
Grewal explained that the jathedar leads the Sikh community and makes decisions after consulting with Sikh scholars and intellectuals. He added that the jathedar would consider prevailing circumstances before making any decision.
Grewal also mentioned the recent gathering of 100 Sikh organisations at Akal Takht to discuss the situation that arose after the police crackdown on Amritpal Singh and his Waris Punjab De outfit. The jathedar gave the Punjab government a 24-hour ultimatum to release the Sikh youths who were arrested during the police crackdown, and most of them have now been released.
Sikh scholar Baljinder Singh noted that a “sarbat khalsa” cannot be called on the wish of an individual. However, if the jathedar decides to call such a meeting, it must be done after a series of consultations with Sikh scholars and intellectuals.
It is worth noting that the last “sarbat khalsa” was held on February 16, 1986, and it was called for by the SGPC executive committee. Two other “sarbat khalsa” meetings were called by radical Sikhs through their self-styled jathedars in 1986 and 2015.
