Patiala: For the second day in row, Sukhbir Singh Badal and other Akali leaders performed “sewa” (service) at Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib in Anandpur Sahib of Ropar district amid tight security on Friday.
Seated in a wheelchair due to his fractured foot, he performed “sewadar” (guard) duty at the main entrance while holding a spear in his hand as part of his religious sentence awarded by the Akal Takht. Sukhbir then listened to “Gurbani Kirtan” for an hour and proceeded to the langar hall to wash used utensils as part of his service. Sukhbir’s wife and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal joined him on both days.
The Akal Takht has directed Sukhbir to serve as a “sewadar” at multiple sacred Sikh sites, including Takht Kesgarh Sahib, Takht Damdama Sahib, and Darbar Sahib in Muktsar and Fatehgarh Sahib, in addition to Golden Temple in Amritsar.
The Akal Takht, the temporal authority of the Sikhs, has imposed the religious punishment on Sukhbir for the “mistakes” committed during the SAD govt’s tenure in Punjab between 2007 and 2017.
On Wednesday, Sukhbir had survived an assassination attempt when former Khalistani militant Narain Singh Chaura fired at him at Golden Temple in Amritsar while he was performing his penance.