By Devinder Singh Chahal | Opinion |
The crisis among the three leading Sikh organizations – Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and the Akal Takht seems to have reached a point of no return.
Giani Raghbir Singh, Jathedar of Akal Takht, acting under the influence of dissidents from the SAD and Harnam Singh Dhumma of Sant Samaj, took, what became a fatalistic decision on December 2, 2025. He declared Sr. Sukhbir Singh Badal, the President of the SAD, as tankhaya for his and his cabinet’s mismanagement of governing affairs in Punjab. Besides, Raghbir Singh withdrew the title of “Panth Rattan Fakhr-e-Qaum” (Pride of the Sikh Community) from the late Sr. Parkash Singh Badal. Many Sikhs and Sikh organizations applauded Raghbir Singh’s edict.
However, Raghbir Singh appeared not to know that the Jathedar of Akal Takt is supreme only when punishing and excommunicating a scholar or a politician who has gone against the SGPC or the SAD. If a Jathedar’s edict is against the SGPC or the SAD, it is only effective within the four walls of the Akal Takht. It is evident that the edict of Ragbir Singh, or at least its fall-out, was not acceptable to the Badals.
According to the Gurdwara Act 1925, the executive committee of SGPC has the authority to appoint and remove Jathedars of all five Takhts. Therefore, on Friday, March 7, 2025, the SGPC sacked Akal Takht Jathedar Raghbir Singh and Takht Kesgarh Sahib Jathedar Sultan Singh from their posts and appointed Missionary College trained Kuldeep Singh Gargaj as the new head of Takht Kesgarh Sahib. He will also serve as the Acting Jathedar of the Akal Takht. This, in turn was not acceptable to the Sant Samaj, derawadis, Taksali and Sampardayi outfits.
To register its protest against Kuldeep Singh, Sant Samaj chief Harnam Singh “Dhumma”, called for a “Panthic congregation” at Sri Anandpur Sahib on Friday, March 14, 2025. Representatives of various Sikh organizations, Sant Samaj and Nihang Singh Jathebandis attended the event to express their “joint dissent” against the SGPC’s “arbitrary” removal of Takht Jathedars and new appointments, claiming they were made in violation of Sikh principles, “maryada,” and traditions. They obviously knew nothing of the Gurdwara Act 1925 and the powers of SGPC to hire and fire Jathedars; or chose to ignore it.
Six resolutions were passed amidst the chanting of “Bole so nihal” during the “Panthic gathering” held at Gurdwara Gurdarshan Prakash, Anandpur. Dhumma was nominated to lead the Sant Samaj, Sikh sampradayas, and “jathebandis” to “guide the Panth out of the current crisis.”
This is the same Dhumma who declared that Sikhs should vote BJP during the Gujrat elections, and participated in the Mahakumbh to take a dip in the Ganges. He said certain Sikh traditions, particularly those of the Udasee and Nirmala Akharas, had supported his participation in the Kumbh. Dhumma claimed he was invited by both akharas and the Uttar Pradesh government. The Sikh Youth Federation (Bhindranwale) objected to his visit, and Dhumma responded by claiming that Sikh Gurus had visited Prayagraj and Kashi as well.
SEE ALSO: Harnam Singh Dhumma’s Support for BJP: Realpolitik or Betrayal?
Given such stances, one can easily imagine the type of leadership Dhumma will provide in “guiding the Panth out of the current crisis.”
This crisis has further caused the SGPC to lose its moral authority, if not its legal mandate, to govern and administer historic Sikh gurdwaras, educational institutes, and provide preaching and research in Sikhism.
They have failed to revise the 80-year-old Sikh Rehit Maryada of 1945 and have not resolved the long-awaited issue of removing Rag Mala from the Aad Guru Granth Sahib (AGGS). They use many different definitions of a Sikh, and none of them are concise or precise. Moreover, there is no good research department to conduct textual analysis of the AGGS. They have failed to teach the messages within the AGGS logically and scientifically. They also failed to portray Guru Nanak’s most logical and scientific philosophy during his 500th and 550th anniversaries.
It is evident, therefore that there is a need for drastic change in all the leading Sikh organizations – the SGPC, SAD, and the so-called Jathedar of Akal Takht. What is needed is an Apex Body of Sikh representatives from the democratic countries of the world where Sikhs have become citizens of those countries; scholars; experts in various fields; and retired administrators. This suggestion was first mooted by Sr. Partap Singh, DIG (Retd), through an editorial in the February 2025 edition The Sikh Review titled “21st Century Challenges – and Era of Alliance.” He suggested the creation of leadership group comprising a core group panel of 7 eminent persons; whose task would be to chalk out an immediate program to resolve the present crisis.
Sikh Population in Punjab
It needs to be noted that the crisis in the Sikh polity is folding out against the backdrop of a steadily declining Sikh population in Punjab. The Sikh population of Punjab declined to 57.69% in 2011 from 59.91% in 2001. The decline is caused by Sikh youth migration and a poor growth rate among the Sikhs during the last 25 years. Given that many Hindus from other states have immigrated to Punjab and that many poor Sikhs have become Christians, it would not be farfetched to surmise that the population of the Sikhs in Punjab would fall at or below 50% during the forthcoming census. Therefore, it should be kept in mind that Sikhs are not only minorities in the world’s democratic countries but also Punjab, the birthland of Sikhism.
My suggestion is to expand the proposed core group panel of 7 eminent persons to 41. They would come from all the democratic countries where the Sikhs have settled as permanent residents. The 41 representatives of the Apex Body can be drawn from all over the world in the following manner. Australia: 2; Africa: 2; Canada: 2; Europe: 2; Malaysia: 1; Singapore: 1; United Kingdom: 1; United States: 2; New Zealand: 1; Punjab: 7; Delhi: 1; Haryana: 1; Total: 23 representatives from the democratic countries of the world.
Administrative Members and Specialists in the Apex Body. Administrative members include retired judges, retired IAS and PCS, and experts in physical and chemical sciences, natural sciences, medical sciences, Sikh history, Sikh theology, Sikh philosophy, etc. At least two experts from each field. This makes 18 experts of the Apex Body.
The Total number of Apex Body would thus be: 23 + 18 = 41.
The Head or the Leader of the Apex Body would ideally come from the from the administrative group. The Head Office of the Apex Body will be at the main Complex of the Darbar Sahib, Amritsar.
The immediate task of the Apex Body will be to see that the long-due election of the SGPC is held peacefully. Similarly, only one list of the members of the SAD is prepared for the election of its members, and the most qualified leader helms the party. Thereafter, they should chalk out one-year, 2-year, and 5-year programs to make the SGPC the representative of the Sikhs of the world; set out regulations for the management of Gurdwaras all over the world; and draw out a plan for the preaching of Sikhi and Sikhism in their real perspective to the Sikhs and non-Sikhs throughout the world.
The SAD will remain the political Party of Punjab, India. However, the political issues of the Sikhs in foreign countries and India would be the task of the Apex Body.
This article first appeared in the The Sikh Bulletin – 2025 Issue 2 (April – June 2025).
Devinder Singh Chahal, PhD, a retired Professor of Microbiology, is the president of the Canada-based Institute for Understanding Sikhism. Relying on his long life as a Sikh, his training as a scientist and his love of the Guru, Prof Chahal has dedicated an enormous amount of energy trying to reform Sikhi by demonstrating the incorrect interpretations of the Aad Granth. Click here for his work. His most recent book is NANAK and His Philosophy.
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