Amritsar: Taking a strong exception to Union ministry of culture deleting a post about ‘Bandi Chhor Diwas’ from its social media platforms, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami, in a statement on Wednesday, said it was “extremely sad” and “unfortunate” that the ministry had to remove a post on the history of Sikhs.
Expressing his objection, the SGPC chief said India was a multi-ethnic, multi-religious country, where respect for the history and beliefs of people of all religions should be protected. If the Indian govt adopts such a discriminatory attitude, how will it ensure the rights of people of all religions, he asked.
Dhami’s statement said a post regarding ‘Bandi Chhor Diwas’ (prisoner liberation day) was posted on the social media of the Union ministry of culture, which mentioned the day’s history and tradition. A video of the festival, which is observed by the Sikhs, was also uploaded with the post. But it was removed after some time.
Dhami said the Sikhs respect the festivals of all religions, but it is also not acceptable that anyone should hurt the unique and distinct identity of the Sikhs. In its post on Monday evening, the ministry had put up a 43-second-long pictorial video and written: “Do you know? Sikhs around the globe celebrate #BandiChhorDiwas as a powerful symbol of oneness & compassion. This tradition is celebrated alongside #Diwali. Watch the video to learn the story behind this inspiring celebration.”
The minister had posted the video on its X handle, @MinOfCultureGoI.
The post on the festival — a Sikh celebration of the release of the sixth Sikh master Guru Hargobind from the Gwalior fort that coincides with Diwali — had sparked a row. A section of users pointed out that Diwali was “wrongly rechristened as Bandi Chhor Diwas recently to sever it from the Hindu festival and had no historicity”, prompting the ministry of culture to remove its post from X within a few hours.