Days after the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) objected to the Punjab government’s proposed programme to celebrate ‘Veer Bal Diwas’ in Ludhiana on December 12, the Akal Takht has written to all Sikh Members of Parliament to impress upon the Central government to rename ‘Veer Bal Diwas’ as ‘Sahibzade Shahadat Diwas’.
The Central government has designated December 26 as Veer Bal Diwas to mark the martyrdom anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh’s sons Baba Fateh Singh and Baba Jorawar Singh.
Akal Takht Jathedar Kuldip Singh Gargaj said that although the Sahibzadas were young in age at the time of martyrdom but their sacrifice was no less significant than that of any adult.
He directed Sikh MPs to strongly represent Sikh sentiments in Parliament and press to officially declare the martyrdom day of the Sahibzadas as ‘Sahibzade Shahadat Diwas’. These letters have been emailed to the MPs’ official addresses.
The letter states that the Union government has been observing the Sahibzadas’ martyrdom day as ‘Veer Bal Diwas’ since 2022 which misrepresents Sikh ethos and tenets.