Sukhbir Badal, the president of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), publicly apologised today for the sacrilege incidents that occurred during the SAD regime and urged the “dissident” Akali leaders to unite and put an end to their differences.

Speaking to a crowd at the Shaheed Baba Gurbax Singh Jee gurdwara on the grounds of Akal Takht on the 103rd anniversary of SAD’s founding, Sukhbir expressed regret.

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SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami, former ministers Anil Joshi and Bikram Singh Majithia, and MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal were among the senior SAD leaders in attendance on this occasion.

Following the conclusion of the Akhand Path bhog, the SAD leader took part in the ardaas, wherein forgiveness was requested for any mistakes made, whether intentional or not, while serving the Panth or Punjab, and future direction was sought.

Following the theft of the holy Guru Granth Sahib from a gurdwara in Burj Jawahar Singh Wala, Faridkot, and the discovery of torn pages from the Holy Book in Bargari, Faridkot, sacrilege incidents had taken place in 2015 between June and October.

According to Sukhbir, Parkash Singh Badal, who passed away in 2022, suffered from the knowledge that these acts of sacrilege happened while he was Chief Minister and that the real offenders were granted immunity.

Sukhbir bowed his head and accepted responsibility for his party’s inability to apprehend those who had committed sacrilege during its rule. He claimed that the SAD government was forced to refer the case to the CBI at the time because of the “pressure,” and the CBI’s investigation was also unsatisfactory.

As a government, we ought to have recognized the role that certain players had played in toppling the previous administration and dividing the Khalsa Panth from its warrior force SAD. He said, “It is noteworthy that these forces have remained silent about incidents of sacrilege, even at the Golden Temple, or about the police attack on Sikh shrines, such as the one at Sultanpur Lodhi.

In addition, Sukhbir apologised to the split Akalis without mentioning anyone in particular. He issued a call for the Panth to unite under the Akalis.