Akal Takht declares AAP MLA Manwinder Singh Giaspura ‘tankhaiya’; party legislators admit lapse

The Akal Takht on Friday, 16 October, declared Aam Aadmi Party MLA Manwinder Singh Giaspura a ‘tankhaiya’, a term for a Sikh found guilty of religious misconduct. The decision was taken at a meeting of the five Sikh high priests in Amritsar, The Statesman reported. On the same day, a group of AAP legislators and leaders presented themselves at the Akal Takht Secretariat and said they did not share Giaspura’s views.

How the dispute began

Giaspura, who represents the Payal seat in Ludhiana district, was turned away from the secretariat inside the Darbar Sahib complex on 12 October. He had gone there with an AAP delegation that wanted action over an alleged breach of protocol during a protest at Gurdwara Bangla Sahib in Delhi on 10 October. Speaking to reporters outside, he said he had been stopped because he belongs to a Scheduled Caste.

The Takht rejected that account. Its media adviser, Jaskaran Singh, said the entry bar was linked to earlier remarks by the MLA that he described as “derogatory, highly objectionable and threatening” towards the Jathedar and Sikh institutions, according to a PTI report carried by ThePrint. The SGPC later complained to the Amritsar police commissioner, The Statesman reported.

What the AAP legislators said

A secretariat statement said the MLAs appeared “in compliance with the directions issued by the Jathedar Akal Takht.” According to that statement, they admitted they had failed to counter Giaspura’s allegations on 12 October or to clarify that no caste bias had taken place. They sought forgiveness, said nobody is kept away from the Akal Takht on grounds of caste, race or colour, and described the MLA’s comments as his personal views. Neither report gave the number of legislators who appeared or listed their names.

The appearance had originally been fixed for 15 October but was pushed back by a day because of a Punjab bandh, The Statesman said.

What the edict means

• Giaspura has been pronounced ‘tankhaiya’ by the five high priests.
• Sikhs have been asked to stay away from social and religious contact with him, according to The Statesman.
• The Takht’s order accused him of making “false allegations of caste discrimination” against sewadars and acting for “personal political gain”.
• No penance had been announced for him at the time of reporting.

A ‘tankhaiya’ can normally return to good standing after completing a religious punishment set by the Takht, often service at a gurdwara. ThePrint’s PTI report did not carry a response from Giaspura. Separately, AAP MLAs had earlier this week given the secretariat a memorandum asking the Jathedar to summon Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the alleged entry of Delhi Police into Gurdwara Bangla Sahib.

Sources: ThePrint (PTI), ThePrint (PTI), The Statesman