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Giani Puran Singh suffers heart attack after being installed as Akal Takht jathedar

Neena Chaudhry in Amritsar

Amid lusty cheers by a huge crowd in the parikrama (corridor) of Amritsar's historic Harmandir Sahib, Giani Puran Singh was today installed as acting jathedar of the Akal Takht.

But, in what was touted as divine retribution by those opposed to his installation, the giani suffered a heart attack immediately after the ceremony.

As Puran Singh was leaving the Golden Temple complex through the gate near the langar building, he developed a pain in the chest and fainted. He was rushed to the intensive care unit of the Guru Ram Das Hospital.

While nothing has been announced officially, doctors said he suffered a mild cardiac arrest. Fatigue and excitement are said to be the cause of the ailment.

Earlier, amid loud shouts of Bole So Nihal -- Sat Sri Akal, Golden Temple priests Giani Charan Singh and Giani Gurbachan Singh honoured Giani Puran Singh, till recently one of them, with siropas (robes of honour).

The crowd, which had been transported by the state machinery, had an impressive presence of women. Punjab ministers, legislators, loyalists of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee, Akali Dal office-bearers and state government officials were seen controlling the jostling sea of humanity.

Prominent among those present were the jathedars of Takht Keshgarh Sahib and Takht Damdama Sahib, Prof Manjit Singh and Giani Kewal Singh, respectively. Both had been barred from entering the Akal Takht till they had cleared the accounts of the World Sikh Council. Manjit Singh had also been summoned to the Takht for associating with excommunicated persons.

In a brief address to the community, Giani Puran Singh endorsed the decision of the joint meeting of the Akali Dal working committee, SGPC members and office-bearers, and members of Parliament and the state legislature at Anandpur Sahib on January 7 to empower Badal to lead the Khalsa tercentenary celebrations.

He regretted the circumstances in which ten executive members of the SGPC had to meet and suspend Akal Takht jathedar Bhai Ranjit Singh. He described Badal as "rehbar-e-quom" (leader of the Sikh nation) and "sipasalar" (general) of the Sikhs.

He claimed that while today's meeting had not been summoned as a 'Sarbat Khalsa' (congregation of the community), the people's response had converted it into one.

Expectedly, SGPC president G S Tohra, Ranjit Singh, and some Sikh religious organisations like the Sant Samaj led by Baba Sarabjot Singh Bedi and the fundamentalist Damdami Taksal stayed away from the function.

SGPC employees preferred to obey Tohra, their boss of 25 years, and keep all their offices closed.

Today's ceremony was a massive show of strength by the 'moderate' faction of the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal led by Badal, who is locked in a struggle with Tohra to establish his religio-political hegemony over the community.

The function has ended all hopes of resolving the Badal-Tohra feud. Now, a polarisation of forces can be expected before the celebrations of the tercentenary of the Khalsa Panth begin.

But a violent manifestation of this polarisation will depend on the choices exercised by the state government and the Congress, which has remained a silent onlooker thus far.

Thanks to the elaborate arrangements made by the Amritsar district administration and the Punjab police, no untoward incident was reported today apart from some traffic jams. Moreover, Ranjit Singh had said yesterday he would not begin a conflict and give the government a chance to launch a propaganda war against him.

He told Rediff On The NeT that he did not take cognisance either of today's government-sponsored show or of Puran Singh, whom he described as a "sarkari" [government] jathedar. He claimed that none of the traditional and contemporary religious, political or other Sikh organisations were present on the occasion. Even Badal himself was absent, he noted.

Ranjit Singh pointed out various discrepancies in Puran Singh's installation. For one, he was appointed in a government guesthouse on February 10. Secondly, the head granthi (priest) of the Golden Temple, Giani Mohan Singh, did not bestow a siropa on him.

Ranjit Singh had offered to step down if Mohan Singh presented a siropa to Puran Singh.

Meanwhile, Mohan Singh's whereabouts are a mystery. He "disappeared" yesterday and has been untraceable since.

While the Badal camp alleges that he is in the custody of Ranjit Singh, who has the Damdami Taksal's support, the ousted jathedar claims Mohan Singh was seen moving around with Jathedar Jagdev Singh Talwandi, a prominent member of the Badal camp, since February 11.

In his address, Puran Singh said Mohan Singh did not turn up because he had taken two days' leave for "domestic" reasons.

Radical and religious elements in the community point out that the tradition of the Golden Temple head priest acknowledging the Akal Takht chief began in the time of Guru Arjun Dev. At the time, the legendary Baba Budha Ji was head priest of the Harmandir Sahib. The baba had applied tilak (vermilion) to as many as six Sikh gurus at their installation, and the tradition has been continued since with the installation of the Akal Takht jathedar. Until today, that is.

Ranjit Singh said he would launch a mass contact programme to "educate" the people about the way in which the Badal government had gone beyond tyrants like Nadir Shah, Ahmed Shah Abdali and Massa Rangarh as well as the modern "anti-Sikh ideology" of the late Indira Gandhi. While these people had only destroyed the Akal Takht building, Badal had struck at its very ideology, he said.

He said he would convene a 'Sarbat Khalsa' after the 300th anniversary of the Khalsa, which falls on Baisakhi Day, April 14. A detailed programme to "liberate" the Takht from government control will be launched thereafter.

But Ranjit Singh also said he would not hand over charge to Puran Singh and would continue to discharge his duties at the Takht as before.

EARLIER REPORT:
Faith and loathing in Amritsar

The Punjab state page

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