In the mid-term polls of office bearers of the Managing Committee of Takht Sri Harmandir Ji, Patna Saheb, a team owing allegiance to the Shiromani Akali Dal Badal sweeped the elections defeating some key post holders. Incumbent President Delhi-based Avtar Singh Hit who assumed leadership almost three years ago, almost in a coup, re-elected a new Committee.  WSN editor Jagmohan Singh analyses the developments, which generally escapes the attention of the Sikh world as the old committee has not much to show in terms of achievement since its formation.

WHILE THERE WAS NO INTEREST IN PANTHIC CIRCLES for the mid-term office bearers’ polls, as it was a foregone conclusion that Badal Dal will form the new Committee, the Sangat in Patna Sahib, Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal and Orissa, were in for a surprise on 25 July, when President Avtar Singh Hit succeeded in outclassing wizardous Takht Patna Sahib General Secretary Mahender Pal Singh Dhillon and Secretary Mahender Singh Chabbra from their posts. As per the Rules and Bye-laws of the Takht Sri Harmandir Ji Patna Sahib, a mid-term poll of office bearers has to be conducted after two and half years of the formation of the 11-member Managing Committee through election, co-option and nomination.

For the first time in many years, elections of the office-bearers of Takht Patna Sahib Committee were carried out smoothly and peacefully with the supervision and regulation of a full team of eight administrative and police officials under the leadership of Sub-Divisional Officer Patna city Mukesh Kumar, deputed by the District Magistrate of Patna City. 

Thanking Akalpurakh and the Sikh Sangat after the election process was completed, re-elected President Avtar Singh Hit told the media, “We will work for the welfare of humanity and the Sikh Sangat with renewed vigour and dedication, in an absolutely transparent manner. We will come up to the expectations of the Sikh Sangat.”

Avtar Singh Hit said, “We will celebrate the 400th Birth Anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur on a grand scale in the first week of January 2021 coinciding with the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh. By then, an automated kitchen and construction of new rooms for the Sangat would also be done.”

“We have received assurance of support from the Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar,” he added. 

Elected as General Secretary, the member from Jamshedpur -Indarjit Singh, along with Harbans Singh will now be the new executive authority of the Takht Patna Sahib Committee.  Promising to be available at Sangat’s beck and call, Indarjit Singh called upon Sikh Sangat from Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal to participate more comprehensively in the Takht affairs. 

We will celebrate the 400th Birth Anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur on a grand scale in the first week of January 2021.

Avtar Singh Hit, President, Takht Patna Sahib Management Committee

Jagjit Singh Sohi from Patna Sahib is the new Senior Vice President and Lakhinder Singh from Katihar is the Junior Vice-President and Harbans Singh Khanuja is the new Secretary of the body. 

A new member Gurinder Singh, nominated by the District Judge, Patna, in place of his father Tarlochan Singh -who passed away, also attended the meeting.  Interestingly, independent observers classify this nomination as “under the BJP quota.”

Strictly following the rule book in letter and spirit, no intervention by anyone was allowed to be exerted before and during the poll process. WSN learns that co-opted member of the executive committee Harpal Singh Johal, who had been removed from the Committee during a Zoom meeting on 11 July for violation of the Sikh code of conduct and unparliamentary language in the Takht premises, was admitted to be present in the meeting, but without the right to vote. 

While the Avtar Singh Hit Committee does not have any achievements to its credit, it must still be said that they were able to successfully dethrone Giani Iqbal Singh as Jathedar Takht Harmandir Ji Patna Sahib for his anti-Panthic activities and also dislodge Mahender Pal Singh Dhillon from the post of General Secretary of the Takht Committee as he was a continuous hurdle for the last almost two decades, in the furtherance of Panthic affairs at Patna. 

The Sikh Sangat in Bihar and Jharkhand is keeping a close watch on whether the new committee will investigate and take action against acts of malfeasance and financial irregularity of the outgoing general secretary and others of the august Sikh body.

Recently, under pressure from the Sikh Sangat, Jathedar Iqbal Singh had vacated the room that he was illegally occupying in the Takht premises.  However, a petition, filed by his son’s friend Manmeet Singh (who himself is in prison for theft and other illegal activities) challenging Giani Iqbal Singh’s removal is still pending with District Judge Patna.

Former President of the SGPC Gobind Singh Longowal, who is the SGPC nominee to the Takht Patna Sahib Committee was also present in the meeting. In an open letter to all members, Mohinder Pal Singh Dhillon has questioned his participation, saying, “he has been debarred by Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh for one year from participating in any religious function.” Sources told WSN that after speaking on the phone line with Giani Harpreet Singh, Jathedar Takht Patna Sahib Giani Ranjit Singh disallowed this objection.” Moreover, after the elections, Legal Advisor to the Takht Patna Sahib Committee Charanjit Singh Saluja responding to a question from the media said, “the allegation of Dhillon is unfounded. If it were true, he too should be held responsible, because he had asked Longowal to attend the meeting as a member of the Board.”

While the Avtar Singh Hit Committee does not have any achievements to its credit, it must still be said that they were able to successfully dethrone Giani Iqbal Singh as Jathedar Takht Harmandir Ji Patna Sahib for his anti-Panthic activities and also dislodge Mahender Pal Singh Dhillon from the post of General Secretary of the Takht Committee as he was a continuous hurdle for the last almost two decades, in the furtherance of Panthic affairs at Patna. 

Outgoing General Secretary Mahender Pal Singh Dhillon has not handed over the charge to the new general secretary till the time of writing, even though Jathedar Takht Patna Sahib Giani Ranjit Singh, in a letter had directed office bearers to hand over their respective charge to the new team soon after the elections.

It will be interesting to see how the new team regularises the accounts of the past three years and then prepares a new budget. The Sikh Sangat in Bihar and Jharkhand is keeping a close watch on whether the new committee will investigate and take action against acts of malfeasance and financial irregularity of the outgoing general secretary and others of the august Sikh body.  Avtar Singh Hit has however assured that all irregularities would be thoroughly checked and nobody will be spared.

An incorrigible litigant, Dhillon is believed to be buying time and running from pillar to post to get the 25 July proceedings declared null and void. The District and Sessions Judge Patna-cum Custodian of Takht Patna Sahib -Sunil Dutta Mishra, under the Rules and Bye-laws governing Takht Patna Sahib has already confirmed the formation of the new committee and the election of the new office bearers through his letter dated 30 July 2021.

Significantly, documents relating to the elections accessed by the WSN show that all proceedings were recorded in Hindi, though it was a relief to learn that the meeting proceedings were conducted in Punjabi. 

As Panthic groups in Punjab and other parts of India show little or no interest in the affairs of Takht Patna Sahib, invariably, all these years, the Badal Dal stays entrenched in the affairs of the Managing Committee of Takht Harmandir Ji Patna Sahib. Clearly, the new team members have been endorsed by the highest echelons of the Badal Dal leadership. 

Significantly, documents relating to the elections accessed by the WSN show that all proceedings were recorded in Hindi and English, though it was a relief to learn that the meeting proceedings were conducted in Punjabi. 

The democratization of the decades-old Rules and Bye-laws of the Takht Sri Harmandir Ji Management Committee may be taken up at the earliest.

WSN learns that there are many problems and issues concerning the Sikh Sangat, namely the welfare of the staff of the Takht Sahib, accommodation for visiting Sangat, upkeep of historic Gurdwaras around Patna Sahib, review of the decades-old Rules and Bye-laws of the Takht Management Committee, which have not been attended to by the present committee, in the same way as it was ignored by earlier leaders. 

With two years left, it remains to be seen what the Avtar Singh Hit team delivers to the Sikh Sangat, especially those in and around Patna Sahib. Panthic groups and individual observers from near and far need to be more vigilant to make such important Gurdwara management committees more responsible and accountable to the Sangat.