Tension prevails over likelihood of protest if Akal Takht officiates Gargaj to address Sikh community ahead of Op Blue Star anniversary

CHANDIGARH: As the 41st anniversary of Operation Blue Star approaches on June 6 (Friday), the situation remains tense due to the possibility of the protest at the Akal Takht (Highest Temporal seat of Sikhs).
The officiating Jathedar (High Priest) Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj is likely to address the sikh community on the anniversary.
The Sikh hardliner group Damdami Taksal's chief, Harnam Singh Dhumma, has demanded that the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) should stop Gargaj from doing so, as he has not been accepted by the Sikh community as the Jathedar.
Also, Nihang announced that they will not allow it to happen.
Thus, SGPC is worried as it may be challenging to maintain peace during the commemoration. Meanwhile, SGPC is trying to strike a compromise to defuse the issue.
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami had recently visited the headquarters of Taksal at Gurdwara Gurdarshan Parkash at Chowk Mehta village.
A meeting that lasted for over one and a half hours to strike a compromise, assured that the issue would be resolved before the event.
Hoping for an amicable solution, Dhami said that a meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere.
Meanwhile, Takshal's chief Dhumma does not want Gargaj to deliver the customary speech on June 6, as various Sikh bodies have not approved his appointment.
"SGPC has never indulged in confrontation with Damdami Taksal. I hope an amicable solution will be worked out before the anniversary,'' he said.
Dhumma, who is now close to the Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP) following his support to the saffron party's Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra last November, has been reiterating that if Gargaj addresses the gathering, it will vitiate the atmosphere.
He added that they do not want any clash during the event and are fully ready to cooperate with the SGPC.
However, he said that they have been appealing that SGPC should appoint a Jathedar who is approved by the community and highlighted that the Gargaj is not approved by everyone.
"If a conflicting situation arises on that occasion, the responsibility will lie with the president of the SGPC,' he asserted.

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