After 17 years, another round of confrontation between Akal Takht & Patna sahib clergy
Jalandhar: It is after around 17 years that the clergy of Takht Patna Sahib is coming into direct conflict with the Akal Takht jathedar and other Punjab-based Sikh high priests. When on Wednesday, the Takht Patna Sahib jathedar and four other granthis suddenly declared the Akal Takht acting jathedar and Takht Damdama Sahib jathedar "tankhaiya" (guilty of religious misconduct), it was reminiscent of Takht Patna Sahib jathedar, in 2008, declaring Akal Takht jathedar and other Sikh high priests "mahan doshi" (big guilty).
That was a protracted phase of confrontation that embarrassed the community and history appears repeating itself once again.
Then, Takht Patna Sahib jathedar Iqbal Singh, on Jan 26, 2008, issued an edict in which he challenged the supremacy of Akal Takht, a concept widely accepted by the Sikhs, and claimed that Takht Patna Sahib was supreme. He also excommunicated Takht Patna Sahib managing committee president Mohinder Singh Romana, but that edict was nullified by the Akal Takht.
The clergy claimed that the right of excommunication was only with the Akal Takht.
He was not allowed to participate in the meetings of the Sikh high priests at the Akal Takht after 2007. He came on his own on June 6, 2008, to participate in a meeting but was not allowed. Four days later, on June 10, 2008, he shocked the community by pronouncing four Singh Sahibans (high priests) — then Akal Takht jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti; then Darbar Sahib head granthi Gurbachan Singh, who later became Akal Takht jathedar; then Kesgarh Sahib jathedar Tarlochan Singh; and then Damdama Sahib jathedar Balwant Singh Nandgarh and Giani Jagtar Singh, who later became head granthi of Darbar Sahib – "mahan doshi".
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These high priests rejected an earlier edict issued by him on May 10, 2008, declaring former Akal Takht jathedar Prof Darshan Singh "pucca tankhaiya" (almost excommunicated). He even equated the rejection of his edict (on which he got signatures of four other priests of Takht Patna Sahib) with turning away from Guru Gobind Singh and claimed that the Singh Sahibans did this under a deep conspiracy.
A couple of months later, Vedanti was relieved of his charge in the first week of Aug 2008, which was also a sudden development.
Iqbal not only attended the installation of Giani Gurbachan Singh and offered him a turban on Aug 7, 2008. The latter also started inviting him to the meetings of the Singh Sahibans, and this became an affair as if nothing had happened in the past. Neither Gurbachan Singh nor Iqbal Singh ever clarified what happened to the big conceptual contradictions.
Iqbal Singh had no qualms about sitting with the same persons he had declared "mahan doshi".
Together they rather issued a few controversial edicts, including unilateral pardon to Sirsa dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim in Sept 2015.
In Aug 2010, Iqbal Singh once again created controversy by issuing two edicts – one of which appeared to challenge the supremacy of Akal Takht. In the edict issued on Aug 18, written and signed in Hindi, it was announced that only the five Singh Sahibans of Patna Sahib were authorised to decide religious and social issues pertaining to Sikhism.
Then Akal Takht jathedar Gurbachan Singh said that the issues would be discussed at the Akal Takht in a meeting of the high priests and an explanation would be sought from Iqbal Singh. However, instead of clearing the air or giving any cogent explanations, controversies were given a quiet burial, reflecting that things were happening in a whimsical manner.
Iqbal Singh's tenure remained marred by controversies, and he gave a tough time to the management committee of the Takht Patna Sahib and to the Sikh priests later also. Several in the community found his edicts whimsical. On April 8, Akal Takht barred him from participating in any religious function following quite a few complaints about him.
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