Bhindranwale ‘continues’ as Damdami Taksal chief

[me moorakh mugadh]

Chandigarh, June 20

By claiming that Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale continues to be the chief of the Damdami Taksal, its officiating chief, Baba Thakur Singh, in a statement from San Jose in California today has not only refuted the claim of Bhai Ram Singh as the 15th chief of the taksal but also given a new twist to the controversy over the grant of “martyr’s status” to the sant.

Only a couple of weeks ago, various sects and organisations, including a section of the taksal, had accepted Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale’s “sacrifice for the Panth” and granted him the status of a “Sikh martyr”. Even members of the family of the sant had accepted that he was no more.

In a written statement faxed to The Tribune and his subsequent telephonic conversation with this correspondent Baba Thakur Singh maintained that Bhai Ram Singh was never appointed chief of the taksal.

Bhai Ram Singh is currently in the USA and expected back on July 2 when he is scheduled to take over. Only yesterday, various Panthic organisations and sects, including the descendants of Sant Kartar Singh Bhindranwale, had hailed the appointment of Bhai Ram Singh as the next chief and held that there would be no “formal dastar bandi” to mark his taking over as taksal chief as all such rituals and formalities had already been completed in the USA in the presence of Baba Thakur Singh. Bhai Ram Singh is a nephew of Sant Kartar Singh Bhindranwale.

“He was only appointed a caretaker of a few gurdwaras run by the taksal. Bhai Ram Singh, members of his family and some aides, however, twisted the facts and declared himself to be the 15th chief of the taksal. Bhai Ram Singh is greedy and selfish. H

e should not have done that,” said Baba Thakur Singh holding that even the “dastar of the Damdami Taksal chief is still with Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.

“It is only he who can appoint his successor. I am only officiating in his place,” he added.

“Keeping in view the manner in which Bhai Ram Singh has conducted himself, we have decided to withdraw the caretaker’s charge given to him. All gurdwaras for which the charge was given to him would now be looked after by other taksal workers.

Taksal leaders maintained that since Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale was “alive”, there was no question of accepting him as a “martyr”.

Baba Thakur Singh, by reiterating his claim as the real acting chief of the Damdami Taksal, warned Bhai Ram Singh and members of his family “not to indulge in this kind of low activities.”

“I appeal to the entire Sikh world not to be misguided by a few traitors and assure you that the taksal is discharging its religious duties under the existing setup,” Baba Thakur Singh said.

Talking to The Tribune over the telephone from the USA, Bhai Ram Singh said it was Baba Thakur Singh, who had offered to appoint him as the next acting chief of the Taksal.

“I was in Los Angeles when some Taksal workers at Tracey Gurdwara requested Baba Thakur Singh to name his successor. They had in fact proposed names of Bhai Manjit Singh, Bhai Ishar Singh, Bhai Mohkam Singh, Bhai Ajaib Singh and Bhai Satbir Singh. Babaji said he would think about it. On June 16 when I reached Tracey from Los Angeles at midnight, Baba Thakur Singh called me in the morning and told me that he wanted to entrust me the sewa of the Taksal and extracted an assurance from me that I won’t say no to him.

“Later, Baba Thakur Singh, in the presence of all those who were at the gurdwara presented a siropa, a shawl and a dastar and appointed me as the acting chief of the Taksal and promised to support me,” he said revealing that after his formal appointment, certain people started working again

st him.

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