Amritsar, January 2
Jathedar Akal Takht Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti today admitted that disallowing women devotees from participating in seva to clean sanctum sanctorum of the Golden Temple in the morning was against the tenets of Sikhism which did not preach discrimination on the basis of gender.
Talking to The Tribune at his residence here today, Jathedar Vedanti said he would try to persuade all concerned to allow women to perform kirtan and other seva inside Harmandar Sahib which had been denied to women without assigning any reason. He claimed that women were not allowed to clean the sanctum sanctorum when the Golden Temple was under the control of mahants. After the Gurdwara Reform Movement in 1920s, gender discrimination should have been stopped. Women are held in high esteem in Sikhism and there was no reason that they should be disallowed from participating in any kind of seva as per the Sikh tenets.
The then SGPC chief, Bibi Jagir Kaur, had announced to give justice to women devotees by allowing them to perform kirtan and clean the sanctum sanctorum at the time of “Amrit vela.” However, she laid down office as SGPC chief the move did not materialise.
Women devotees are not allowed even to touch the ‘palki’ sahib (palanquin) while carrying Guru Granth Sahib from the Golden Temple to Akal Takht for “Sukh assan” in the evening.
Jathedar Vedanti, however, was hopeful that his appeal to allow all devotees to participate in all kinds of seva without any gender discrimination would be accepted.
Mr Kulwant Singh, a former SGPC secretary said women should be allowed to participate in the seva inside the Golden Temple.
