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New Delhi: An important meeting of the Akal Takht is going to be held in Bathinda on Friday, on which fugitive Amritpal is keeping a close watch. This is because what will be the stand of the Jathedars of Akal Takht on Amritpal, it can be decided in today’s meeting. In such a situation, questions are being raised whether the count down of fugitive Amritpal will end on 7th April? Will he surrender or will he be arrested. At present, the Punjab Police is keeping an eye on the whole incident.
The DGP of Punjab Police has asked all the police officers to remain alert. If sources are to be believed, the holidays of all Gazetted Officers (GO), Non-Gazetted Officers (NGO) and EPO have been canceled till April 14. The chiefs have been asked not to approve any new leave of any kind till April 14, 2023. Instructions have been given that all types of leave approved earlier should be canceled immediately.
Significantly, Sarbat Khalsa has been called by Amritpal on “Baisakhi” on 14th. However, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) said on Friday that it is the prerogative of the Akal Takht chief to call a meeting of the “Sarbat Khalsa”. Fugitive radical preacher Amritpal Singh has asked to convene a meeting of “Sarbat Khalsa” to discuss issues related to the Sikh community.
In two video messages that surfaced on social media on Wednesday and Thursday, Amritpal Singh has asked the Jathedar (head) of the Akal Takht, the apex religious body of Sikhs, to organize a gathering of devotees called “Sarbat Khalsa”. Amritpal has also appealed to the Jathedar to take out a “Khalsa Waheer” (religious procession) from Akal Takht in Amritsar to Damdama Sahib in Bathinda and hold a meeting there on Baisakhi.
Responding to the demands, SGPC general secretary Gurcharan Singh Grewal had said, “This is Amritpal Singh’s personal wish. Calling or not calling the Sarbat Khalsa is the sole prerogative of the Akal Takht and not anyone else.
Grewal had said that since the Jathedar leads the Sikh community, he takes every decision with deep thought and takes the opinion of Sikh scholars and intellectuals. He had said, “The Jathedar will see what needs to be done in view of the prevailing circumstances, there is no doubt that several Sikhs close to Amritpal Singh have been arrested under the National Security Act, which is a matter of serious concern.”
