Bhindranwale portrait on exterior of UK’s biggest gurdwara, next to image of fifth Sikh guru, sparks outcry
A huge portrait of the fifth Sikh guru has appeared next to another large poster of the slain militant leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale on the exterior of the largest gurdwara in Britain, sparking controversy amongst Sikhs.
The 20-foot by 10-foot image of Bhindranwale, who led the occupation of the Harmandir Sahib complex in Amritsar in June 1984 and was killed in the Golden Temple by Indian forces, went up on the exterior of Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall last week in view of the anniversary of Operation Blue Star.
Yards away is a portrait of the fifth guru to mark Sri Guru Arjun Dev’s martyrdom day.
Sukhi Chahal, CEO of the Punjab Foundation, a charity in the US which educates underprivileged children in the Punjab, tweeted a photo of it, saying: "Equalising a person with a #Guru is utterly disrespectful and unpardonable. Mr GS Malhi, president of the gurdwara, must apologise to #Sikh Sangat for the sin. Demand his sacking and immediate removal of the poster."
The gurdwara’s official Twitter handle responded: "You and your masters @HCI_London will need to try a little harder than sending a few tweets."
Earlier the gurdwara, whose capacity for 3,000 worshippers makes it the largest outside India, had tweeted the Bhindranwale photo saying: "A picture speaks a thousand words. 36 years later Sant Ji’s vision is as fresh and as relevant as ever."
05-Jun-2020
