Dhami resigns as SGPC chief, offers to quit Akal Takht-constituted panel

Harjinder Singh Dhami resigned as Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president on Monday and offered to quit as the head of the seven-member committee constituted by the Akal Takht on December 2 to supervise the re-organisation of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).

Dhami resigned four days after Akal Takht jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh strongly condemned the sacking of Giani Harpreet Singh as Takht Damdama Sahib jathedar by the SGPC executive committee chaired by him (Dhami) on February 10.

Announcing his resignation at a press conference in Amritsar, Dhami read out the last line of the social media post of Giani Raghbir Singh that said: “Once again, I want to say from my heart that terminating the services of Giani Harpreet Singh is an extremely condemnable and unfortunate act which has harmed the independent existence of the Takht Sahibs.”

“After this statement of the Singh Sahiban (Giani Raghbir Singh), I take moral responsibility for the decision and resign from the top post of the gurdwara body. Besides, I also appeal to the Singh Sahib to remove me from my role as head of the seven-member committee,” he said, adding “Circumstances for the Panth (Sikh community) are very serious and the government is trying to weaken Sikh organisations.”

He said he had sent his resignation to the SGPC executive committee.

On the decision to sack Giani Harpreet Singh, over which the SGPC and SAD leaders faced a backlash from across the community, Dhami said, “During the executive committee meeting, an open discussion was held over his removal. Every member was allowed to express their views. This is not the first time that the executive committee has terminated the services of a jathedar.”

Terming Dhami’s resignation a sad development, Giani Harpreet Singh said in an FB post, “Five to seven SAD leaders who are ignorant about Panthic traditions and ‘maryada’ are weakening Panthic institutions for vested interests and ‘keep politics of a person alive’. The leaders who represent Panthic ideology are being shown the door or a leader is pressurised so much that he is forced to quit. May Akal Purakh (timeless God) bless the institutions of Guru Panth.”

Setback for Badal camp in SAD

Dhami’s resignation is seen as a setback for the SAD camp of Sukhbir Singh Badal, which allegedly pressurised the SGPC executive committee to remove Giani Harpreet Singh as he played a key role in the December 2 decree of the Sikh clergy. After his services were terminated, Giani Harpreet Singh alleged that the Badals were behind the decision.

The December 2 decree of the highest Sikh temporal seat not only awarded tankhah (religious punishment) to Badal and other SAD leaders for the mistakes committed by the party and its government from 2007-17 on the complaint of rebel party leaders, but also directed the SAD working committee to accept Badal’s resignation as SAD president, besides constituting the seven-member committee, comprising members from both the Badal and rebel camps, to initiate a recruitment drive and elect new office-bearers in six months. The decree pointed out that the present leadership of the SAD had lost the moral right to lead the community.

Akal Takht jathedar ‘deeply saddened’

In the communique shared on Facebook, Giani Raghbir Singh had said, I’m deeply saddened. The reasons and methods used to remove Giani Harpreet Singh of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib from his post are not correct at all. After the decisions taken by the Sri Akal Takht Sahib on December 2, 2024, in the light of Panthic sentiments and traditions, it seems an atmosphere was being created against the Singh Sahibs in a calculated and deliberate manner. A media trial was conducted against Giani Harpreet Singh by giving a wrong shade to an 18-year-old family issue.”

He had also said: “If there is a need to investigate any allegation against any jathedar of any Takht Sahib, then only Sri Akal Takht Sahib can do it. It is unfortunate that Giani Harpreet Singh was terminated despite my statement. Sacking the jathedars in this way is extremely unfortunate.”

On the other hand, Dhami was also under pressure as the Badal camp had initiated a recruitment drive allegedly setting aside the December 2 decree, while members from the rebel camp have been asking for rejecting the existing drive and initiating it according to directions of the Akal Takht. The Badal camp is reportedly not ready to reject the ongoing drive.

Reflecting on his journey in the SGPC, Dhami told reporters, “In 1996, I won the first SGPC election from Sham Churasi. I was included in the first executive committee of the newly elected general house by then committee president late Gurcharan Singh Tohra and SAD patriarch Parkash Singh Badal. I was appointed member of the Dharam Parchar Committee. In 2020, I was elected general secretary before being appointed chief secretary the next year. The SAD leadership reposed faith in me for which I’m grateful. All members cooperated with me. The SAD is a 104-year-old organisation and is passing through a crisis now. I appeal to the community to unite and leaders to bury the hatchet.”

Meanwhile, Gurpartap Singh Wadala, who was the convener of the rebel Akali group, Akali Dal Sudhar Lehar (reforms movement), said: “Dhami’s decision is unfortunate and depicts the state of affairs within the SAD, as he was being pressurised to do things against his will.” The sacking of Giani Harpreet Singh was against Sikh principles and traditions, he said. “The meeting of the seven-member committee would be held as scheduled on Tuesday at Bahadurgarh,” he added.