Amritsar: In a fresh salvo, the Panj Piaras (Sikh preachers) yesterday asked Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to remove the Jathedars of the five Takhts by January 1 next year.
Taking strong exception to the non-implementation of their earlier Gurmata (religious edict) issued on October 23, the Panj Piaras said they would announce the future course of action for the Sikh community on January 2 next year unless SGPC removed the Jathedars by January 1.
Earlier on October 21, the Panj Piaras had in an unprecedented move challenged the working of the Sikh clergy and summoned the five Sikh high priests, including the Jathedar Akal Takht Gyani Gurbachan Singh, on October 23 to explain the pardon extended to the Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and later withdrawing the same.
When all the five Jathedars failed to appear before the Panj Piaras, the latter asked SGPC to forthwith remove all of them.
The Gurmata for summoning Gyani Gurbachan Singh, Giani Iqbal Singh (Jathedar of Takht Patna Sahib), Giani Mal Singh (Jathedar of Takht Kesgarh Sahib), Giani Gurmukh Singh (Jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib) and Giani Ram Singh Dhoopia (Jathedar of Takht Hazoor Sahib, Nanded) was passed by Panj Piaras.
On October 21, one of the Panj Piaras, Bhai Satnam Singh, had said that the decision to pardon the Dera chief was taken by the Jathedars without consulting any of the Sikh groups and intellectuals or taking them into confidence.
They had further charged that the Jathedars' move had put the ‘Sikh Qaum' (Sikh community) into turmoil and also placed the Panth in an embarrassing position. They had said that, according to Sikh tenets, even the Jathedars of the Takhts were answerable to the Panth and so they must explain their decisions and the rationale behind the same.
However, on the same day, that is October 21, SGPC President Avtar Singh Makkar had suspended all the Panj Pairas for summoning the five Sikh head priests at Akal Takht. However, later on, after a few days and bowing before the pressure from the Sikh community, SGPC had without any condition revoked the suspension of the Panj Piaras.
