DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

Slamming Akali leaders for trying to demean the position of Jathedar of Takht Sahib, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Thursday said that the state government will take severest of severe action against the accused of this sin, in case of any complaint.

In a message, the Chief Minister said that for centuries Jathedar Takht Sahib had been a supreme temporal authority of Sikhs.

However, he said that from the last few hours the entire humanity has seen the shameful face of Akali leaders who are trying to demean the authority of the Jathedar for their vested interests.

Mann said that the Akali leaders have shamefully shown grave disrespect to the authority of the Jathedar Takht Sahib which is unwarranted and undesirable.

The Chief Minister said that the agnostic and haughty attitude of the Akali leaders just to appease their political bosses from one family is highly condemnable.

He said that this family has already done irreparable damage to Punjab in general and the Sikh community in particular. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the recent act of Akali leadership has bruised the psyche of the Sikh community and the people responsible for this heinous act will never be forgiven.

The Chief Minister unequivocally said that threatening the Jathedar and passing casteist comments against him and lewd remarks against his family members is intolerable.

Mann said that though the state government does not interfere in this matter, he assured that in case the Punjab government gets any complaint against the people involved in this heinous crime against the Jathedar or his family will not be spared. He said that severest of severe action would be taken against the people who are behind this crime, even by making fake IDs, on social media will not be spared at any cost.
(editor@dailyworld.in)