Sikh youth Jugraj Singh who hoisted the Sikh religious flag (Nishan Sahib/Kesri Flag) on the Red fort during the Republic Day violence has been felicitated by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) for the act. SGPC member handed over the amount of Rs 1 lakh to Jugraj’s family says the official Twitter page of SGPC Amritsar.

#SGPC honoured the family of #Sikh youth Bhai Jugraj Singh who hoisted the #KesriFlag on #RedFort with Rs 1 lakh. SGPC member Bhai Manjit Singh handed over this appreciation amount to the family of Bhai Jugraj Singh. pic.twitter.com/t9EU6M8WCp

— Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) (@SGPCAmritsar) June 30, 2021

Ideally, no flag other than the tricolor is to be hoisted at the Red Fort and hence this act is against the law of the land. That a Sikh body would felicitate someone for an anti-national act is a worrisome sign. The SGPC has also been supporting the so-called farmer’s protest that clearly has the backing of Khalistani elements. Only recently, the SGPC provided financial aid to the family of a farmer they believed had been “martyred” while returning from the farmer’s protests.

Through such acts, the SGPC is only legitimizing Khalistani elements and pushing Sikh youths towards it. Khalistani movement is a threat to Bharat’s sovereignty as it has close ties with Islamic Jihadi groups. The movement which first gained steam in the 1970s petered out by the 1990s. However, it has now been gaining ground again. Back then the movement had Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale as its face and Khalistanis received ample support from Pakistan’s ISI.

As pointed out by an article in National Interest:

The Khalistan movement in its new avatar is even more dangerous because it is projecting an image of a secular and liberal movement of a Sikh minority fighting against India’s oppressive Hindu majority for its right to self-determination. Further, the SFJ, by lending support to Kashmir separatism and some of India’s populist civil rights movements with dubious ties to Islamist groups and Khalistani groups, is projecting an image of a civil rights movement with firm beliefs in Western liberal values. However, at its core, it continues to be a violent and extremist movement with no tolerance for liberal values like free speech, multiculturalism, democracy, and human rights.

When Sikh organizations like the Akal Takht and SGPC give legitimacy to Khalistan, Sikh youth are bound to go astray. It is an undeniable fact that Khalistan is not only against Bharat’s national interests but against the very foundation of Sikhism itself. Therefore, when the SGPC declared Bhindranwale a ‘martyr’, it sent a wrong message to the Sikh community. Now, by legitimizing anti-national acts of Sikh youths like Jugraj Singh, SGPC is creating space for Khalistanis and Islamic Jihadi organizations to radicalize the youths of Punjab.

(Featured Image Source: SGPC Amritsar Twitter Page)

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