Amritsar: The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Tuesday decided to launch a statewide campaign to propagate the Akal Takht’s recent directive against Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and mobilise Sikh opinion behind it.The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami and attended by Sikh preachers, Dhadi and Kavishar jathas, and representatives of Nihang Singh organisations, the SGPC said in a statement.According to the SGPC, Dhadi and Kavishar groups will visit villages across Punjab and interact with Sikh congregations to explain the circumstances that led to the Akal Takht’s decision and urge them to adhere to its directive.On June 15, the Sikh high priests declared Mann ‘Guru Dokhi’ (anti-Guru) and ‘Khalsa Panth Virodhi’ (anti-Khalsa Panth) and directed Sikhs not to associate with him. The edict was issued over an alleged sacrilegious video, which the Akal Takht said had been verified through two forensic reports. Mann and the Aam Aadmi Party have rejected the allegation, maintaining that the person seen in the video is not the chief minister.Dhami said the directive was issued only after due deliberation and verification of the video through govt-recognised forensic laboratories. He alleged that despite being given several opportunities, including to suggest forensic laboratories and cooperate with the process, Mann did not fully cooperate with the proceedings initiated by the Akal Takht.The campaign follows the SGPC executive committee’s decision last week to convene its general house on June 27 and organise constituency-level gatherings across Punjab to build support for the Akal Takht’s directive and press for Mann’s resignation.
