Amritsar: Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib has expressed serious objection to the name of “Veer Bal Diwas” being celebrated by the Central Government and has officially demanded that it be changed to “Sahibzade Shahadat Diwas”.
On the orders of the acting Jathedar of Akal Takht Sahib, Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, the Secretariat has sent this special letter to all Sikh MPs in Parliament across the country.
Objections of the Sangat are being raised since 2022
The letter states that the Sikh community has been continuously objecting to the name Veer Bal Diwas since 2022. A large number of letters were sent to Akal Takht Sahib by the Sangat, demanding that the Central Government rename it as Sahibzade Shahadat Diwas keeping in mind the Sikh sentiments.
Message sent to 14 Sikh MPs
This letter has been sent to a total of 14 Sikh MPs of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Among them are Dr. Amar Singh (Fatehgarh Sahib), Gurjit Singh (Amritsar), Harsimrat Kaur Badal (Bathinda), Malvinder Singh (Anandpur Sahib), Sukhjinder Singh (Gurdaspur), Vikramjit Singh (Rajya Sabha), Hardeep Singh Puri (Union Minister), Harbhajan Singh (Rajya Sabha), and other MPs are included.
Appeal to MPs: Raise this issue forcefully in Parliament
Akal Takht Sahib’s acting Jathedar Kuldeep Singh Gargaj has appealed to all Sikh MPs to raise this issue forcefully in Parliament. He said that MPs should take steps to pressure the central government to officially declare this day as Sahibzade Shahadat Diwas.
‘This is not just a demand for name change, but a demand for respect’
The letter said that this demand is not limited to just a name change, but is linked to respect for Sikh history, tradition and sentiments.
The Akal Takht Secretariat says that this letter has been sent to the official email addresses of all MPs.