Partition Prayers & Shahi Imam on 1947 Riots; Diaspora Questions SGPC

August

2026

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) organized an Ardas (prayers) ceremony at Sri Akal Takht Sahib (Eternal Throne) in memory of all Panjabis who were killed during the carnage and Partition of Panjab in August 1947. Addressing the congregation, Akal Takht Jathedar (leader) Kuldip Singh Gargajj said elders had described the 1947 Partition as the Punjab Da Ujaara (ruination of Panjab), during which more than 1M Panjabis were massacred. He said the Ardas was offered praying that such a time never returns. Ardas was also held at Gurdwara Shaheed Baba Deep Singh Ji, Amritsar. Separately, recollecting Partition, the Shahi Imam of Panjab, 48-year-old Maulana Usman Ludhianvi, said that before Partition, several Muslim families lived in the Brown Road area of Ludhiana. Almost all migrated to Pakistan in the aftermath of Partition and communal violence. But his great-grandfather Maulana Habib-Ur-Rehman, a freedom fighter and national president of the Majlis-e-Ahrar Islam Hind during the British Raj, appealed to people to remain in India, warning that Partition would leave behind painful memories for generations. When riots engulfed Ludhiana, his family found themselves virtually the only Muslim family left in the locality. Shahi Imam recalled how his great-grandfather’s friend, Bachittar Singh, protected the family from violence by guarding their house. Freedom fighter and local resident Prabha Devi, meanwhile, safeguarded historical literature and documents associated with the freedom struggle that were in his great-grandfather’s possession. Meanwhile, the decision by the Akal Takht and the SGPC to retain exclusive authority over the printing of Birs (tomes) of Guru Granth Sahib (Sikh scripture and charter) has sparked concern among Sikhs in Europe. Referring to the recent controversy over alleged Rehit Maryada (code of religious conduct) violations during the transportation of Birs to Canada by ship, after a virtual meeting with Sikh leaders from various European countries, Germany resident Jhujhar Singh said, 'Sikh organizations in Europe have the resources and capability to establish appropriate facilities for the printing of Birs in accordance with the Rehit Maryada. Why can’t Sikhs living abroad print the Birs ourselves?' Austria resident Surinder Singh Parmar said if the SGPC wants to retain responsibility for printing and transporting the Birs, it should arrange transportation on a dedicated or leased aircraft, equipped with a Palki Sahib (palanquin), and other facilities mandated under the Rehit Maryada (earlier coverage).