Punjab CM Mann requests Akal Takht to allow live telecast of his appearance before it on Jan 15

Chandigarh, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday requested the Akal Takht jathedar to allow 'live telecast' of his appearance before the Akal Takht Secretariat after being summoned on January 15.

In a post on X, Mann claimed he has been receiving messages from all over the world that when he presents his account on January 15 on behalf of the 'Sangat' , it should be telecast live on all television channels.

Underscoring the sentiments of the 'Sangat', Mann said he is requesting the Akhal Takht jathedar that his clarification be broadcast live so that the 'Sangat' can stay informed about every detail.

“See you on January 15 – with evidence included," Mann said in the post.

The acting jathedar of the Akal Takht, Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj, on Monday summoned Mann to appear in person before the Takht Secretariat on January 15 to clarify his alleged “anti-Sikh” remarks.

Gargajj summoned Mann for allegedly making comments on 'Guru ki Golak' and indulging in "objectionable activities" with pictures of Sikh Gurus and slain militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.

The jathedar of the highest temporal seat for Sikhs said that while “deliberately” expressing an “anti-Sikh” mentality, Mann repeatedly made “objectionable” comments against the principle of 'Dasvandh’ bestowed by the Sikh Gurus, thereby deeply hurting Sikh sentiments.

Dasvandh is a Sikh practice of donating 10 per cent of one’s earnings as a religious duty.

Gargajj had clarified that since the chief minister is a ‘patit’ and, according to Sikh tradition, cannot be presented before the Akal Takht Sahib, he has been summoned to appear in person before the Akal Takht Secretariat on January 15 to present his explanation.

On Monday, Mann said he would abide by the Akal Takht's directive.

“Will not appear as the chief minister but as a humble Sikh, walking barefoot,” Maan had said in a post on X in Punjabi.

The summoning of Mann followed an ongoing tussle between the Punjab government and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee over the registration of an FIR in the case of 328 missing 'saroops' of the Guru Granth Sahib.

SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami had lashed out at the A government over the FIR, accusing it of interfering in the administrative rights of the apex gurdwara body with the sole purpose of gaining “political mileage”.

On December 29 last year, Mann said the FIR was filed after several Sikh bodies demanded a thorough probe into the missing ‘saroops’ and their recovery.

He also accused the SGPC of failing to find the 328 missing ‘saroops’ and using the Akal Takht as a “shield”.

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