Punjab is in the news for all the wrong reasons these days. Since the coronation of the AAP government, we have seen a new wave of crimes in the state, an unprecedented rise of Khalistan elements, and a newfound tension between Punjab and Himachal Pradesh over the Bhindarawale flag issue.
If that was not enough, now Punjab has also started showing anti-Hindu activities as well. In a fresh such incident Kultar Singh Sandhwan, who is the Speaker of the Punjab Assembly, was forced to tender an unconditional apology to the Akal Takht Sahib. Kultar Singh Sandhwan is an Aam Aadmi Party MLA from Kotkapura.
His crime? His video went viral on social media, where he was seen taking blessings from Gau Mata while attending a religious ceremony. On March 26, Sandhwan reached out to Akal Takht Sahib in Golden Temple and submitted a written apology.
Sandhwan had visited a Gaushala in Bathinda where this incident happened. The moment this video went viral, it attracted a fierce reaction from the Sikh community, who started protesting against this incident. Keeping the protests and their political implications in mind, Sandhwan immediately approached Akal Takht Sahib and submitted his apology to Jathedaar Gyani Harpreet Singh.
In his apology, he reached his position in life because of the blessings of the Gurus. It was obvious that devotees may commit mistakes in life and Gurus are forgiving. He added in his apology letter, “Along with my devotion to my own faith, I respect all religions. During a visit to a Gaushala, circumstances led to a religious priest touching my turban with the tail of a cow.”
He further added that his actions may have hurt the sentiments of the Sikh devotees, for which he apologized. He further said, “I pray to the almighty to provide me wisdom so that I can respect all religions while remaining in order of the Guru”.
We will not make any comment here on the religious sentiments of the Akal Takht or, Kultar Singh Sandhwan but we would also like to add that to maintain harmony in society, respect for religion must be from both sides. Even today, when millions of Hindu Sikhs go to the Gurudwara, they respect the tradition there, bow their heads, but no Hindu religious organization considers it an insult to Hindutva and asks Hindus to apologize.
It seems that in Punjab, now an attempt is being made to break the society again in the name of religion, which is also being supported by the government there.
