YouTube Stops 'Gurbani' Transmission for a Week; Devotees Leave for Bangladesh

On 18 Nov, social media platform YouTube suspended the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) official YouTube channel—SGPC, Sri Amritsar—until 25 Nov over a video related to the 1984 Indian Army action on Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple), Amritsar. The SGPC statement said that the action was taken over a video uploaded on 31 Oct in which a Sikh preacher, while speaking about Sikh warriors, made certain references linked to the events of 1984, as part of Sikh history. According to sources, the SGPC preacher had also made comments on the assassination of former Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi. SGPC started relaying the Gurbani (singing of Sikh texts) live telecast from its alternate channel. In July 2023, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party had cast aspersions that the live Gurbani kirtan (hymns) telecast on Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal’s PTC TV channel benefits Badal through advertisement revenue. Since then, SGPC has been relying on a public social media platform to transmit kirtan to millions of viewers worldwide in addition to it still being relayed on PTC channel. Critics wonder as to why the SGPC has not been able to create its own digital platform in over 2 years and is still dependent on a social media company. Rabindra Narayan, head of G-next who earlier used to handle kirtan telecast on PTC television channel says ‘the issue is now SGPC mixes katha (stories) with kirtan.’ That is true, but why can’t SGPC buy its own internet servers and host the channel on its website. That way, SGPC maintains full control on the telecast. Meanwhile, SGPC has sought action against newly elected Tarn Taran Member of Legislative Assembly Harmeet Singh Sandhu saying SGPC misused the Guru di Golak (donation box) at the behest of SAD to distribute money and influence voters. Concurrently, A 70-member jatha (group) of Sikh devotees, organized by the Kar Sewa Sampardai, Sarhali, Tarn Taran, Panjab departed for Bangladesh on 19 Nov to participate in the celebrations of the 356^th Parkash Purab (birth anniversary) of Guru Nanak and the 350^th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Teghbahadar (earlier coverage).