Bathinda: Tensions surfaced at Gurusar Jalal village in Bathinda district after 82 Angs (p. 1267 to 1430) were found thrown in the streets. Soon after the news spread out Sikh sangat and representatives of local Sikh organizations began to gather at Gurusar Jalal, which is in vicinity of Salabatpura.
Baba Hardeep Singh Mehraj, who was present in the Gurusar Jalal village, told Sikh Siyasat News (SSN) over phone that the Beadbi of Guru Granth Sahib came into light at around 5:15 am when villagers found sacred Angs thrown on streets and the road leading to bus-stop of the village.
Local Sikhs collected the Angs of Guru Granth Sahib and brought them to village Gurdwara Sahib.
High police officials, including DIG Ranbir Singh Khatra, SSP Bathinda and DSP Gurjit Singh Rumana, have also arrived in the Gurusar Jalal village.
Representatives of Sikh organizations and local pracharks, including Baba Kuldip Singh (Nanaksar Thath, village Kaur Singh Wala), Gurdeep Singh Bathinda (United Akali Dal), Chamkaur Singh (Bhai Rupa) and Baba Hardip Singh Mehraj have decided to block Bajakhana to Bathinda road. They are demanding quick police action to find the culprits responsible for the Beadbi of Guru Granth Sahib.
Sources said that the police was trying to convince the villagers to not to allow “outsiders” (representatives of the Sikh organizations) to interfere or take charge of this matter.
The police have told the villagers of organize an Akhand Paath Sahib in wake of Beadbi incident.
Meanwhile Sikhs continue to protest against incidents of Beadbi of Guru Granth Sahib across Punjab. Road-blocks at more than a hundred places across the state has brought the state’s life to stand still. There seems to be a total collapse of government and civil administration. Sikh leaders and even many mainstream media circles are holding Punjab government’s failures responsible for the current situation besides unprovoked and unwanted police firing at Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan village (on Oct. 14), in which two Sikhs were killed and many other were injured.
An Editorial by Punjabi Tribune notes: “Why such a situation arose? This question signals introspection for Punjab’s thinkers, politicians and religious personalities. Guru Granth Sahib’s saroop was stolen from Buraj Jawahar Wala on 1 June. Locals people expressed their anger but the government did not took any concrete step. After about four months police fired at peacefully protesting Sikhs, who were holding demonstration after Angs of Guru Granth Sahib were found in Bargari, as a result the protests spread across the state” (Punjabi Tribune, Oct. 20, 2015; p. 6 | Translated to English from original Gurmukhi/ Punjabi by SSN).
Sikh pracharaks who were leading the Kotkapura protest had announced a strategy channelise the Sikh upsurge but the protesters, at large, refused to follow the strategy after some Sikh groups, including Shiromani Akali Dal (Mann) and Untied Akali Dal (UAD), refused to accept it and announced to continue with indefinite road-blocks.
Sincere Sikh circles are also worries over present state of affairs as the protest are tending to turn uncontrolled. Talking to the Sikh Siyasat News (SSN), representatives of various Sikh groups, admitted that there was urgent need to organize and channelise the upsurge.