Punjab minister Bains gets tankhah over ‘dance gig’ at Sikh event

Five Sikh high priests on Wednesday pronounced “tankhah” (punishment for religious misconduct) to Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains in a case pertaining to a dance performance at an event to mark Guru Teg Bahadur’s 350th martyrdom in Srinagar last month.

Assembled at Akal Takht, the five Sikh high priests — Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, officiating Jathedar of Akal Takht; Giani Sultan Singh, Jathedar of Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib; Giani Kewal Singh, Granthi of the Golden Temple; Giani Tek Singh, Jathedar of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib; and Giani Mangal Singh, Panj Piara of Akal Takht — delivered the punishment. They directed the minister to undertake a series of religious tasks for spiritual atonement for violating Sikh maryada during the event.

The punishment includes a barefoot pilgrimage from the Golden Temple to Gurdwara Guru Ke Mahal (about 500 m away), a visit to Baba Bakala (a holy town 40 km from Amritsar) and Delhi’s Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib. He has also been told to perform two days of sewa (voluntary service), including cleaning footwear and sweeping the premises of a gurdwara in Anandpur Sahib. Besides, he must offer a deg (karah parshad) of Rs 1,100 and participate in ardas seeking forgiveness.

The Sikh clergy also asked Bains to visit historical sites and oversee necessary development and sanitation work as per the given directive. After the pronouncement, Bains said as a devout Sikh, he accepted the punishment with humility and would fulfil the directives to atone for his mistakes.

Meanwhile, Language Department Director Jaswant Singh, who was also present at the Srinagar event, will face tankhah proceedings upon his return to India. Following the controversy, Bains had publicly apologised on social media, acknowledging the mistake “committed knowingly or unknowingly” by the event organisers.

In a resolution condemning the July 24 event at Srinagar’s Tagore Hall, the high priests expressed deep hurt over the inclusion of a dance and musical programme, which they deemed inappropriate for a religious commemoration. They directed that future government programmes should focus on seminars, discussions and lectures aligned with Sikh values, ensuring no violation of Sikh conduct.

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