How move to mark 50th Emergency anniversary as ‘Black Day' has exposed cracks in Haryana Gurdwara panel
Earlier this year, the 19 January HSGMC election, followed by the 13 May oath-taking of 49 members, completed the constitution of the body.
New Delhi: The newly constituted Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) is grappling with internal discord over a decision to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1975 Emergency imposed on 25 June by then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi as 'Black Day' on 26 June.
Jagdish Singh Jhinda, a prominent Sikh leader, has defended the decision to mark 'Black Day', arguing it is a necessary reminder of the 'murder of democracy' back during the Emergency when the Centre had imprisoned Opposition leaders and curtailed civil liberties.
He also emphasised the historical significance of the Emergency, stating, 'Loktantra ki hatya ke din ko yaad rakhna zaroori hai. (It is essential to remember the day democracy was throttled)'.
To honour those who suffered during the Emergency, the HSGMC has plans to felicitate ex-parliamentarians, social workers, others jailed during the Emergency, and their families in case the individuals are deceased. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Haryana's former CM Manohar Lal Khattar and current CM Nayab Singh Saini are among the high-profile political figures the committee has invited.
The HSGMC has also scheduled an Akhand Paath Sahib, a continuous reading of the Guru Granth Sahib, on 24 June at the historic Gurdwara Patshahi Chhevin in Kurukshetra, with similar programmes planned across gurdwaras in Haryana.
The date, 26 June, was chosen to accommodate the HSGMC general house meeting on 25 June—the 50th anniversary of the Emergency.
Also Read: 'EVMs can be hacked'. Key panthic group in Haryana gurdwara committee poll fray calls for ballot voting
Tribute to Sikh resistance against oppression
Jhinda has framed the event as a tribute to the Sikh values of resistance against oppression, invoking the teachings of Guru Hargobind Sahib and Guru Nanak Dev Ji to justify the initiative.
Jhinda told The Print Tuesday, 'Those opposing this event should explain why we celebrate the Shaheedi Divas of Guru Gobind Singh's Sahibzaades (sons), who Aurangzeb martyred to save his throne. This is about standing against injustice.'
Quoting Guru Hargobind Sahib, Jhinda said, 'Raaj bina nahi dharam chale hai (Religion can't go without politics),' adding that the event was in line with Guru Nanak Dev Ji's 'Sarbat da bhala (the welfare of all humanity)' as the Emergency worked against the principle of welfare of all.
Under BJP's pressure, says Akal Panthak Morcha
However, the decision HAS met with strong resistance from a significant faction within the HSGMC—particularly from members aligned with the Akal Panthak Morcha, led by Baldev Singh Kaimpuri and Prakash Singh Sahuwala. Sahuwala, a committee member from Sirsa, revealed that 20 out of the 49 HSGMC members, who owe allegiance to the Akal Panthak Morcha, have vowed to boycott the June 26 event.
'He (Jhinda) is holding this event under pressure from the BJP government in Haryana. He has not sought approval of his decision from the members and has unilaterally announced his event. None of our 20 members is going to attend this event,' he said.
A senior Akal Panthak Morcha member, speaking anonymously, alleged that the event violated the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Act, 2014, which prohibited the use of committee funds for political purposes.
'No resolutions were passed in any committee meeting to hold this event. It is a unilateral decision by Jhinda,' the member stated, adding that their faction planned to seek legal recourse through the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Judicial Commission, headed by Justice Darshan Singh (retd), after 26 June if the event proceeds.
In retaliation, Jhinda has branded his detractors as aligned with the Opposition, calling them 'Congress pichh-laggus (Congress stooges)', accusing them of undermining the HSGMC's autonomy and Sikh principles.
'Those who oppose this event are working on the directions of the Congress,' Jhinda told The Print.
This exchange of accusations has deepened the rift within the HSGMC.
Also Read: Weeks after CM Khattar brokers peace, factional war reignites in Haryana gurdwara body
Manifestation of ongoing power struggle
Since the HSGMC constitution, the internal conflict, a manifestation of ongoing power struggles, has been more intense.
The HSGMC consists of 49 members: 40 elected members (elected in January 2025) and nine co‑opted (nominated) members, appointed in line with the HSGMC Act, 2014.
The election saw 40 members directly elected by the Sikh community: 22 Independents, nine of them from Jhinda's Panthak Dal; six from the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-backed Haryana Sikh Panthak Dal; and three from Didar Singh Nalvi's Sikh Samaj Sanstha.
Subsequently, some Independents aligned with the Akal Panthak Morcha, and they, along with the six Sikh Panthak Dal members, claimed a majority, with 20 members.
The nomination of the nine co-opted members, including controversial figure Baljit Singh Daduwal, tilted the balance in favour of Jhinda, who now enjoys the support of 29 members, including the nine the state government co-opted and owing allegiance to the state BJP government.
The HSGMC constitution is the culmination of a decades-long struggle by Haryana's Sikh community for autonomy over their gurdwaras. Over the years preceding 2014, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee in Amritsar, Punjab, managed the gurdwaras in Haryana.
The demand for a separate body gained momentum in the early 2000s, with figures such as Jagdish Singh Jhinda and Didar Singh Nalvi leading the movement, arguing that Haryana's Sikh community needed independent control to address local, religious, and administrative needs. The movement faced significant resistance from the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and Punjab-based Sikh organisations, both of which viewed a separate body as a challenge to their authority.
In 2014, under the then-Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, the Haryana government enacted the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Act, establishing the HSGMC, along with associated health and educational institutes in the state, to manage gurdwaras. An ad-hoc committee that Jhinda led from 2014 to 2020 oversaw the operations till the conduct of a formal election.
The SGPC challenged the constitutional validity of the Act. However, in September 2022, the Supreme Court upheld the Act, paving the way for the HSGMC's formal establishment.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
Also Read: A Haryana village is fighting ASI. A Mahabharata-era excavation is at stake
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