WATCH: Sukhbir Singh Badal Apologises Over Sacrilege Cases, Evokes Criticism For ‘Sins’ From Opposition

Akali Dal remained in power in Punjab for nearly 10 years since 2007. During this time, the party had faced criticism over various issues including desecration incidents of the Guru Granth Sahib in 2015.

New Delhi: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief and former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday apologised in front of the public for not being able to arrest the culprits of sacrilege cases in 2015 when his party ruled Punjab in alliance with the BJP. He also expressed regret for not understanding the “conspiracies” that led the government to hand over the case to the CBI.

Akali Dal remained in power in Punjab for nearly 10 years since 2007. During this time, the party had faced criticism over various issues including desecration incidents of the Guru Granth Sahib in 2015.

The apology, made in written form and further reiterated in a video message, was made during a gathering at Gurdwara Shaheed Baba Gurbaksh Singh in Amritsar, marking the 103rd foundation day of the Akali Dal.

Sukhbir Badal posted a video on X and wrote, “Submitting myself to the Guru’s will in the precinct of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, the highest religio-temporal seat of the Sikh quom, I sincerely and unconditionally seek forgiveness of the Khalsa Panth that heinous act of sacrilege of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji happened during Akali govt.”

“I also apologize that we couldn’t apprehend and punish the culprits during the brief remaining part of our tenure. I am very sad that we couldn’t understand and defeat the conspiracies of some so called Panthic individuals and organisations and allowed them to compel us to handover the probe to the CBI. These incidents remain the most painful events in my life and the life of S Parkash Singh Ji Badal,” he said.

Submitting myself to the Guru’s will in the precinct of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, the highest religio-temporal seat of the Sikh quom, I sincerely and unconditionally seek forgiveness of the Khalsa Panth that heinous act of sacrilege of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji happened during Akali… pic.twitter.com/3mKoP4tDmf

— Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) December 14, 2023

Badal’s apology evokes criticism

However, the opposition hit out at Badal, saying that the people of Punjab will not accept his apology now. The ruling AAP said an apology is sought for the mistakes one commits in ignorance, not for sacrilege of the Guru Granth Sahib. Chief minister Bhagwant Mann said that ‘sins’ can never be forgiven and called it a “politically motivated apology” which was of no use.

Punjab Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan also called his apology a “desperate act necessitated by near-extinct SAD’s political compulsions.”

Congress’s Partap Singh Bajwa said Sukhbir Badal was trying to “reclaim his lost ground with an apology”.  “The real traits of the Badals have already been exposed. The people of Punjab wouldn’t accept his apology now. Sukhbir Singh Badal should also have told the Sikh Sangat about who ordered the police to fire on the peacefully protesting Sikhs in Behbal Kalan village of Kotkapura. In this incident, two Sikh youths were killed,” said Bajwa.

2015 Guru Granth Sahib Sacrilege

In 2015, multiple incidents of Guru Granth Sahib sacrilege were reported in Punjab. The incidents caused a huge political turmoil in the state at that time. The first incident took place in June when a copy of the Guru Granth Sahib was stolen from Burj Jawahar Singh Wala village in Faridkot district where 110 torn Angs (literally body part means pages) of the holy Guru were found on 12 October.

The final nail in the coffin when the desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib took place in Behbal Kalan town in Punjab. The sacrilege incident sparked huge protests across the state. In one such protest, the police killed two Sikh men in Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan. The government faced a huge backlash at that time for failing to punish the main culprits behind the sacrilege incident.