Sidhu kicks up storm for draping cloth with Sikh religious symbols over shoulders

Neeraj Bagga
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, December 29

Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu has landed in yet another controversy, this time in connection with a photo he posted on Facebook.

The photo, which showed Sidhu with a piece of cloth embossed with Sikh religious symbols around his shoulders, was soon widely circulating on social media, prompting Sikh Youth Power of Punjab, a Sikh religious body, to take it up with Giani Harpreet Singh, Jathedar Akal Takht for strict action.

Sikh Youth Power of Punjab claims it isn’t the first time that Sidhu was involved in what it says is “desecration”.  

The organisation says in its memorandum that the piece of cloth contained Sikh religious symbols like Ik Onkar and Khanda and Sidhu’s act hurt the religious sentiments of the community.

The memorandum also said that a recent trend of tattooing Sikh religious symbols and hymns from the Gurbani on one’s body would amount to desecration.

Sidhu has previously drawn criticism from the community as well, most notably for having participated in a ‘Yagna’ and wearing a sacred thread on his body in 2009. In 2013, Akal Takht’s Jathedar had issued a warning to Sidhu after he ‘flippantly’ quoted from Gurbani i in a TV show.

In 2017, he was accused for distorting a verse of Gurbani.

Neither Sidhu nor his office responded to calls or text messages. This story will be updated when they respond.