The recent tankhah (salary, implied punishment) meted out to Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leadership was significant. This tankhah was about the SADs actions to maintain power by using Sri Akal Takht Sahib as a tool to frivolously pardon Dera Sacha Sauda for its anti-Sikh activities, such as the shocking beadbi (irreverence implied sacrilege) of Guru Granth Sahib Sarups (beautiful forms), as well as the promotion of police officers who were involved in horrific human rights abuses in Panjab during the resistance/militancy movement. Both of these crimes warranted appropriate and consequential punishments that remove all doubt of foul play for the integrity of the Guru Khalsa Panth.
It is commendable and bold that the current SGPC appointed Jathedars declared these Panthak politicians tankhah but we strongly feel their scale was not apt.
Historical precedent from the 18th century is clear: when Sikh leaders committed mistakes there was appropriate and consequential tankhah. In the case of Bhai Sukha Singh (who helped bring justice to Massa Ranghar), he was only rumored to have committed offenses against Maryada by being a kurimar (daughter-killing), but this doubt was strong enough that the Panth decided to bar him from positions of leadership. Another example from the 18th century is of the Misl leader Sardar Jassa Singh Ramgharia who allied himself with the Mughals against his fellow Sikhs. Upon being chastised by the Khalsa for his actions, he took the consequential step of switching sides, dedicating himself to the Panth and apologizing for his actions.
Similarly, the tankhah for the SAD politicians, especially its President, needed to be consequential and appropriate, e.g., barring them from ever holding positions of power in Panthak institutions again. At the very least, a 5-10 year ban would have demonstrated that the crimes committed were so serious that an apt tankhah was warranted. It is frustration with the symbolic and inconsequential nature of tankhah which has led to doubt about the motives of the Jathedars. Understandably, some segments of the Panth feel that tankhah was merely a farce without real consequences.
We are at an important moment in Panthak history. Where SGPC-appointed Jathedars at the Akal Takht have taken this step of holding SAD leaders accountable, the opportunity for more important reforms and changes to the system is possible and welcomed by Sikhs worldwide. For too long, the Akal Takht has been forced to be subservient to the whims of SAD politicians. Instead, as was demonstrated this last week, the SAD must be subservient to the Akal Takht as it was the case when it was founded a century ago. During Khalsa Raj, even the Maharaja of Panjab Ranjit Singh had to bow down to the authority of the Akal Takht and its Jathedar Akali Phula Singh. No Sikh, no Sikh institution, or no Sikh state, can defy the Akal Takht.
