Akal Takht Sahib directs Avtar Singh Hit to undergo ‘tankha’ for religious misconduct

CHANDIGARH: Akal Takht, the highest temporal body of the Sikh community on Monday awarded
religious punishment to the acting president of Takhat Harmandir Patna Sahib Prabandhak Committee, Avtar Singh Hit for comparing Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar with the Sikh gurus during the occasion of 352nd birth anniversary of tenth Sikh Guru Gobind Singh.

High priest of the Akal Takht Harpreet Singh today while handing out tankhah (penance) from the takht in the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar has directed him to perform penance as atonement for his
blasphemous act.

The Sikh clerics directed Singh to perform physical and financial ‘sewa’ at Patna Sahib Gurdwara and at Golden Temple. The high priests also directed Singh that for one hour each he will have to clean utensils for seven days at ‘langar’ (community kitchen), cleaning shoes at 'jora ghar' (where shoes are kept) and listen to ‘gurbani’ (hymns).

Likewise, he has also been asked to serve for five days at Golden temple in Amritsar for one hour each he has been told to perform ‘ardas’ (prayer) and contribute Rs 5,100 for prasad at both holy shrines seeking apology for his act.

He was earlier served a show-cause.

Singh was summoned to appear before the Takht on January 28, as per Sikh tenets that no human being could be equated with the Gurus.