Hotel Banquet Hall Anand Karaj photo with guests in back row sitting on chairs
Amritsar Sahib (KP) - Several Panthic organizations have demanded that Sri Akal Takht Sahib take stringent action against a Delhi kirtani belonging to the Parbandhaki Panchain faction of the Akhand Kirtani Jatha International (AKJI).
At a press conference held in Sri Amritsar Sahib, the Panthic organization, Shahbaaz Khalsa, charged that Mehar Singh of Delhi, the general secretary of the Parbandhaki Panchain (AKJI), conducted an Anand-Karaj marriage ceremony in an American hotel in the state of Alabama.
Shahbaaz Khalsa representative, Bhai Ratinder Singh Indore stated that the ceremony was in violation of the Akal Takht Sahib Hukamnama issued in 1998, forbidding Anand Karaj ceremonies at hotels and marriage palaces.
Interestingly, Mehar Singh is a liaison of Baldev Singh, head of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbadhak Committee's Dharam Parchar unit. Baldev Singh and the Parbandhaki Panchain have not made any public comments on this matter.
Three other Sikh organizations, the Khalsa Alliance, Guru Granth Sahib Satkaar Committee Canada, and Respect for Sri Guru Granth Sahib Campaign (R4G) North America, in a joint application have requested Sri Akal Takht Sahib and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee to investigate the incident and take appropriate action against Mehar Singh and his supporters for this serious breach of Panthic Maryada.
The organizations charged that after taking a Saroop of Guru Granth Sahib Ji into a hotel banquet hall, where liquor and meat was served, many guests were allowed to sit on chairs in the presence of Guru Sahib, which is another violation of Sikh maryada.
Photos of the violations have been provided to Sri Akal Takht Sahib along with the complaint applications.
The Khalsa Alliance also requested the Sikh Sangat to not allow Mehar Singh to do kirtan on any Panthic stage as long as his case is unresolved and pending at Akal Takht Sahib or until he appears at the Takht and seeks forgiveness.
Panthic Weekly, recently published and article on Mehar Singh’s violations in “Kirtani who violated Hukamnama allowed on Dixie Gurdwara Stage”
