EXCLUSIVE: After being the only toady of the Sikh community for defying the collective Sikh consciousness and attending the foundation-station laying ceremony of the Ram Temple at Ayodhaya and denigrating the founding fathers of the Sikh faith, now the Head Granthi-turned-former Jathedar, Giani Iqbal Singh has sounded the bugle that he continues to be the provost -Jathedar of the Takht Harmandir Ji Patna Sahib Committee in total negation of his own resignation, the resolutions of the Takht Patna Sahib Committee and the orders of Giani Harpreet Singh -Jathedar of Akal Takht Sahib.

In a communication on 4 October 2020, a copy of which is with the WSN, addressed to the five Singh Sahibans -High Priests of the Takht Harmandir Ji Committee, Giani Iqbal Singh has claimed that he has not resigned from his post as “Jathedar” and that his purported resignation with the Takht Committee has not been ratified by the District Judge Patna, as per the bylaws of the Takht Harmandir Ji Patna Sahib.

Giani Iqbal Singh was asked on 4 October 2020 by the Five Pyare Singh Sahibans -Head Granthis and Granthis of Takht Patna Sahib -Bhai Baldev Singh, Bhai Dalip Singh, Bhai Harjit Singh, Bhai Majinder Singh,  and Bhai Gurdayal Singh -to gracefully accept the decision of the Akal Takht Sahib dated 5 March 2019, wherein the Takht Committee was directed to accept the resignation of Giani Iqbal Singh, submitted to the Committee on 3 March 2019.

Instead of accepting his own resignation dated 3 March 2019, which was placed before the Takht Patna Sahib Committee on 5 March 2019 and accepted by the Committee under the direction of Akal Takht Jathedar, Giani Iqbal Singh, in his letter dated 4 October 2020 is spreading canards and lies.

In his letter, he says, “the alleged resignation of mine has not been ratified by the District Judge Patna and it is for the District Judge Patna to approve the decision of the Takht Patna Sahib Committee.”

This writer has also comprehensively studied the bylaws of the Takht Harmandir Sahib Committee and I can vouch that the former Head Granthi Giani Iqbal Singh is telling lies. There is no such provision in the rules and regulations.

As an expert on the subject -Chief Advisor to Takht Patna Sahib Committee –Charanjit Singh Saluja, who is in the know of the things happening at Takht Patna Sahib told WSN, “There is a practice since decades that all decisions of the Takht Patna Sahib Committee are conveyed to the District Judge Shri S D Mishra. In this case, also it was so done. Sadly, Giani Iqbal Singh is brining shame to the community by his actions prompted only by the fact that he wants to hang on to the premises at the Takht Sahib.”

Despite directions by the Takht Committee and the requests of the Sewadars of the Takht, Giani Iqbal Singh continues to illegally occupy the premises of the Takht since the last one and a half years. The Takht Committee has also posted a notice on his door urging him to vacate the premises but to no avail.

Indarjit Singh Tatanagar -the Vice-President of the Takht Patna Sahib Committee, while speaking to World Sikh News said, “We have his resignation. His resignation was accepted as per directions of Jathedar Akal Takht. We have him on video saying that he has resigned voluntarily. He is unnecessarily raking up these issues and disturbing the smooth functioning at Takht Sahib.”

“I have personally requested him to vacate the premises but he just does not seem to budge,” he added.

The story of lies and subterfuge does not end here. Soon after submitting his resignation, prompted by the circulation of the anti-Sikh behaviour of his son -Gurprasad Singh, a friend of his son -one Manpreet Singh filed a petition before the District Judge Patna seeking annulment of the acceptance of his resignation by the Takht Patna Sahib Committee.

This petition has been pending for the last many months. After lying low for months, a few weeks back, Giani Iqbal Singh applied for being an intervenor in the petition, which has been challenged by the Takht Committee legal team.

Giani Iqbal Singh continues to occupy the premises at Takht Sahib, despite his resignation having been accepted. It is reliably learnt that the Takht Committee has written to the Chief Minister of Bihar -Nitish Kumar, urging him to use his good offices to get the premises to vacate and to avoid unnecessary hassles at the Takht premises. A copy of the notice posted on his door has been sent to the local police station as well.

He continues to occupy the physical premises of the Takht. He continues to occupy the Sikh landscape in favour of the needs of the Indian state. Whose game is he playing? It is not very difficult to guess.