Don’t Install Panjwar’s Portrait at Central Sikh Museum Ask Former Sikh Leaders

On 27 Aug, a group of former leaders from the All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) urged the Akal Takht (Eternal Throne, Sikh Seat of Justice and Authority; AT) Jathedar (leader) Giani Raghubir Singh not to install a portrait of Parmjit Singh Panjwar at the Central Sikh Museum. Panjwar, the former chief of the Khalistan Commando Force, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen near his residence in Lahore in May 2023. Designated as a terrorist under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) by India, Panjwar was wanted in multiple cases in India. On 13 Jul, the AT Jathedar had instructed the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to install Panjwar’s portrait at the museum (SDW Vol. 2 Issue 29, Story 9). However, the AISSF leaders, led by Tajinder Singh Timma, handed over a letter to the Jathedar in which they argued that displaying Panjwar’s portrait would promote lawlessness and violence within the Sikh community. They say, Panjwar’s alleged involvement in the killings of Sikh leaders such as Harminder Singh Sandhu, Sukhwant Singh Akkanwali, and Chamkaur Singh Rode, makes his inclusion in the museum inappropriate. The letter incorrectly stated Panjwar led a Panthic committee, though Dr. Sohan Singh was the head. In 1992, the committee called for an election boycott at gunpoint, leading to the deaths of 27 candidates and paving the way for INC rule, which was marked by violence against Sikh youth. Timma, a contemporary of Panjwar, is currently secretary of the Sri Ganga Nagar Chamber of Industry and chairman of the Rajasthan Dharam Parchar (religious propagation) Committee. Timma also has a sedition case pending against him at the Rajasthan High Court, Jodhpur.