Shiromani Akali Dal president and former deputy chief minister, Sukhbir Singh Badal, on Thursday tendered an apology for being unsuccessful in apprehending the suspects involved in the 2015 sacrilege case.
“As the president of the party, I want to offer my sincere apology to the Akal Takht Sahib and the Sikh community. We deeply regret any hurt caused during our governance. The sacrilege incidents that occurred were regrettable, and it’s a sentiment shared by the public that our government was seen as Panthic. We apologise for our failure to arrest the perpetrators. We assure that we will ensure the punishment of the real culprits and expose those who politicised this issue,” Badal said, addressing a gathering to mark the party’s foundation day in Amritsar, Punjab, reports The Indian Express.
He further added an apology on behalf of Parkash Singh Badal, former chief minister of Punjab, and his workers’ mistakes, whether intentional or unintentional, made during their government’s tenure.
Later, Badal posted a video of his apology on social media platform X, stating, “Submitting myself to the Guru’s will in the precinct of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, the highest religio-temporal seat of the Sikh quom, I sincerely and unconditionally seek forgiveness of the Khalsa Panth that heinous act of sacrilege of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji happened during Akali govt. I also apologise that we couldn’t apprehend and punish the culprits during the brief remaining part of our tenure.”
Badal further urged everyone who had left the Shiromani Akali Dal for any reason, even if because of mistakes or unfair treatment by anyone in the party, to come back. He believed that only when the Khalsa Panth unites under the Akali flag, they can fight against those causing trouble for the Panth and Punjab. He asked everyone to consider returning to the party.
Moved by Sukhbir Singh Badal’s plea for unity and his apology for the sacrilege incidents during the previous Akali government, two former important leaders who had joined another party, Samyukt Akali Dal, rejoined the Shiromani Akali Dal. These leaders were Des Raj Dhugga, the former chief parliamentary secretary, and Jasvir Singh Ghuman, the former president of All India Sikh Student Federation.
What happened in 2015?
In 2015, sacrilege incidents occurred in Faridkot, involving the theft of a ‘bir’ (copy) of Guru Granth Sahib, the holy scripture of Sikhism, and torn pages found scattered at Bargari. The handling of these incidents, notably transferring the case to the CBI, caused debates and tensions within the Sikh community.
Protests erupted in Faridkot due to these incidents, resulting in police firing that caused two deaths in Behbal Kalan and injuries in Kotkapura. Parkash Singh Badal expressed profound sorrow that these events happened during his tenure as the state’s chief minister, calling it the biggest pain of his life.