Akal Takht, SGPC slam YouTuber, seek strict action

Akal Takht, SGPC and several Sikh bodies have slammed YouTuber Dhruv Rathi for filming Sikh Gurus through artificial intelligence (AI) animation and sought action against him.

Acting Jathedar of Akal Takht Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj today issued a stern warning to Rathi, telling him to take down videos immediately.

SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami strongly objected to an animation video created using the AI which features the 10th Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, and the Sahibzadas. He demanded that the video should be taken down immediately and urged the government to take the strictest possible action against it.

He stated that the history of Sikh Gurus and personalities was a sacred and inviolable heritage, and no individual had the right to distort or misrepresent it. He emphasised that no film or animation, depicting the Gurus or their families, could be created, as the SGPC had already passed resolutions imposing a complete ban on such portrayals.

He added that apart from historical inaccuracies, the inclusion of the AI-generated visuals, depicting the Sikh Gurus in Rathee’s video, had hurt religious sentiments of Sikh community. Such portrayals violated Sikh principles and traditions, as in Sikhi, the Gurus, Sahibzadas and their families could not be represented in human form or films. Therefore, this YouTuber had acted in contradiction to Sikh tenets.

The SGPC President has called on the YouTuber to immediately remove the video and warned that if the video was not taken down, the SGPC would initiate legal proceedings against him.

A delegation led by Shruti Vij, councillor and president BJP Mahila Morcha Amritsar, handed over a complaint to Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, seeking action against Rathi.

Punjab