AMRITSAR: The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), on Sunday, marked the anniversary of July 4, 1955, police attack on the Golden Temple aimed at crushing the demand for Punjabi Suba. Last month, the Sikh body had for the first time displayed the bullet-hit saroop of Sri Guru Granth Sahib ahead of Op Blue Star.
The unusual moves by SGPC are being seen as efforts to help SAD regain ‘panthic’ ground ahead of the assembly elections early next year.
Akal Takht jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh alleged the respective governments at the Center had always made efforts to suppress the voice of Sikhs and it was in this context that the July 4, 1955 attack was carried out. “Reneging on the promises made by the then government to the Sikhs was similar to breaking of promises and oaths made by the ‘Pahadi Rajahs’ (hill kings) at Sri Anandpur Sahib to 10th Sikh master Guru Gobind Singh. When the states were formed in India on the basis of language, justice was not done with Punjab,” he said.
He claimed police were sent on the orders of then Jawaharlal Nehru government. “Shots were fired and hundreds of Sikhs were arrested,” he alleged.
Addressing the gathering at Gurdwara Sri Manji Sahib Diwan Hall, SGPC president Bibi Jagir Kaur said the event was aimed at making Sikh youth aware of the atrocities perpetrated on the community. “Then PM Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Punjab chief minister Bhim Sen Sachar had tried to suppress the legitimate demands of the Sikhs, but the Sikh community always emerged victorious from the challenges,” Kaur said.
She also said events would be chronicled after conducting research on the attack. “Efforts will be made to preserve memories by searching for eyewitnesses of the time who saw the attack in July 1955,” she said.
