early times report
Jammu, Nov 13: S. Balvinder Singh, renowned RTI activist and President of the Sikh Progressive Front, along with S. Manjit Singh (General Secretary), S. Surinder Singh Wazir Vice President, S. Rajinder Singh Sudan (Joint Secretary), S. Janak Singh, and S. Manmohan Singh, S Tejinder Singh, prof Pritam Singh, S Satinder Pal Singh while addressing the media, strongly criticised the continued deadlock over the land dispute between the management committee of the Mattan Temple and the local Sikh Gurdwara management, describing it as a blot on the shared spiritual and cultural fabric of the region.
The Front recalled that Gurdwara Mattan Sahib holds immense historical and spiritual importance for the Sikh community, as it marks the sacred site where Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji visited and spread his message of universal brotherhood and divine truth. The Gurdwara thus stands as a living symbol of harmony and interfaith respect — values central to the Guru’s teachings.
Expressing deep anguish, the organisation said it was deeply unfortunate that while Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib sacrificed his life for the protection of the Kashmiri Pandits’ faith and dignity, some of their present-day representatives are unwilling to hand over even a few yards of land to the Gurdwara management. “This moral contradiction,” the Front stated, “diminishes the sanctity of the very ideals for which the Ninth Guru laid down his life.”
The Sikh Progressive Front reminded that Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib Ji, revered as the Shield of the Kashmiri Pandits, embraced martyrdom on the appeal of Pandit Kirpa Ram, who had approached the Guru seeking protection for the Pandit community against persecution. At that moment, the young Guru Gobind Rai had asked his father who could other than you be the worthiest soul to sacrifice himself for the cause of righteousness and humanity. Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib accepted martyrdom to defend the right of every individual to worship freely — a sacrifice unmatched in the annals of history.
“How ironic it is,” the statement added, “that those who claim to honour Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib’s supreme sacrifice cannot extend fairness and justice to his followers at Mattan. Is participation in anniversary events a tribute — or merely a photo opportunity?”
As the Sikh community across Jammu and Kashmir prepares to commemorate the 350th Martyrdom Anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib Ji with devotion and humility,as it is being organized the Nation as well worldwide, the organisation observed that some Pandit groups have announced their participation in the ceremonies. The Front declared that if those gestures stem from genuine reverence, they must be followed by immediate steps to resolve this decades-old dispute through dialogue, justice, and goodwill. Otherwise, such participation would appear hollow and performative.
The statement further observed that continued clashes over the temple–gurdwara land defile the sacred memory of Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib Ji, who sacrificed his life to uphold religious freedom, human dignity, and communal harmony. “One cannot bow before Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib while ignoring the pain of his devotees standing before them,” the Front remarked, emphasising that such contradictions erode the very spirit of his teachings.
Urging Pandit organisations, civil society leaders, and the local administration to intervene with sincerity and resolve, the Sikh Progressive Front asserted that true homage demands moral courage and justice in action. The Guru’s martyrdom, they said, is not a seasonal occasion for sympathy, but a timeless call for righteousness, sacrifice, and unity of humankind.
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