Unable to face his own people in private or public for the past few months, in view of the anger of the Sikhs over his proximity to the Shiromani Akali Dal Badal and his role in granting pardon to the Sauda Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, also under pressure of the party, Jathedar Akal Takht Giani Gurbachan Singh resigned late today evening on health grounds.

This was coming. The Jathedar was to face the community from the portals of the Akal Takht Sahib -the highest temporal authority of the Sikhs, two weeks from now on Diwali or Bandi Chorr Diwas and many an organisation had vented out their feelings through media and social media that they would not allow the Jathedar to speak.

Furthermore, at the forthcoming SGPC executive Committee meeting next week when a new President of the SGPC is to be elected, there was a possibility that Giani Gurbachan Singh would have been replaced by someone else and this is seen as a pre-emotive move.

Fur­ther­more, at the forth­com­ing general house of the SGPC, when a new Pres­i­dent and executive of the SGPC is to be elected, there was a pos­si­bil­ity that Gi­ani Gur­bachan Singh would have been re­placed by some­one else and this is seen as a pre-emo­tive move.

On the larger canvas, there is a whole undercurrent of seeking pardon by the Shiromani Akali Fall Badal and all associated in view of the pressure of Panthic agenda being aggressively pursue by the Bargari Morcha led by parallel Jathedar Dhian Singh Mand.

Giani Gurbachan Singh’s tenure has been a tale of so many acts of omission and commission. It would not be wrong to cast him as one of the most unpopular Jathedars in a very long time.

It was during his tenure that parallel Jathedar were appointed by the Sarbat  Khalsa in recent years.

Sikh thinker Harinder Singh of Sikh Research Institute is running a Free Akal Takht movement. The #FreeAkalTakht movement aims to achieve freedom of thought and spirit for 30 million Sikhs by designing a new governance framework from the ground up.

FreeAkalTakht believes the future of decision-making in Sikhi will be representative, collective, and transparent–not as the exception, but as the rule, and as revitalisation of the community’s old patterns of self-determination made new for the 21st century.

It is clearly indicative of the events to come that the resignation of the Jathedar will lead to more calls for change in leadership at the SGPC, DSGMC and the Shiromani Akali Dal.

This can also have a spiral effect with the demand for resignation of all his companion Jathedars who enjoined him in wrong decisions.

It is very distressing to narrate that Giani Gurbachan Singh was responsible for accommodating close to a 100 relatives and associates as employees in the SGPC. He took nepotism to such a level that people lost faith in the institution.

In his resignation letter, Giani Gurbachan Singh has expressed regret over the pardon and withdrawal of the pardon to Sauda Dera pseudo-saint Gurmeet Ram Rahim.

Dal Khalsa spokesperson and Panthic Assembly co-convenor Kanwarpal Singh in his reaction to the resignation said, “Gaini Gurbachan Singh was rejected by Khalsa Panth three years ago. His three years of tenure was unjust. His tenure has been the blackest chapter in the annals of contemporary Sikh history. He stood discredited due to his unprincipled and biased edicts issued against the collective will of the community.”

While the Sikh nation may welcome this development, it will be interesting to see who will take his place. The new incumbent will have to shed the baggage of party affiliation and revive the bold historical tradition of the Seat of the Sovereign Akalpurakh.

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If destiny gives Sikhs a sovereign Jathedar, the religio-political thrust is in for a drastic change. Pray. Hope. Prepare

Amritsar, 18 October 2018