Sukhbir Singh Badal, a leader of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), was seen at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on Tuesday, wearing a plaque around his neck as part of a religious punishment handed down by Sri Akal Takht Sahib. Alongside him, fellow SAD leader Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa also wore a plaque and held a spear. Sukhbir acknowledged the significance of the order, stating,
“The order for ‘sewa’ is an order for me as directed by the Almighty through Akal Takht. I will sit at the gate and offer my services at the ‘langar’.” This decision follows a directive issued the previous day by Sikh clergy at Akal Takht, which mandated that he perform duties such as washing dishes and cleaning shoes at the Golden Temple. During the announcement, Giani Raghbir Singh, the Jathedar at Akal Takht, also rescinded the ‘Fakhre-e-Qaum’ title given to Sukhbir’s late father, Parkash Singh Badal, who served as Punjab’s chief minister five times before passing away in April of the previous year.
The Jathedar instructed the SAD working committee to accept Sukhbir’s resignation as party chief and initiate elections for a new president and office-bearers within six months. Apart from Sukhbir and Dhindsa, other leaders from the Akali Cabinet from 2007 to 2017 also faced similar religious punishments. They were tasked with sitting outside the Golden Temple in ‘sewadar’ attire while holding spears for an hour on two consecutive days. Each leader was required to wear boards around their necks admitting to their mistakes and perform ‘sewadar’ duties at various Sikh Takhts for two days each.
Both Badal and Dhindsa arrived in wheelchairs due to health issues. Prior to the punishment, Sukhbir confessed to past errors, including granting a pardon to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a blasphemy case during SAD’s governance in Punjab. This order followed Sukhbir being labeled ‘tankhaiya’ (guilty of religious misconduct) by Akal Takht roughly three months earlier. Other Akali leaders were also instructed to clean washrooms at the Golden Temple and participate in further cleansing duties and listening to ‘kirtan’ for specific hours.
