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President Defends Army Action - Sanctity Of Religion In Secular India Giani Zail Singh Today, I am addressing you at such distressing movement when my heart, as also of all right thinking persons, is heavy with the deep wounds of the past happenings. It is but natural for every thinking being to feel this way over such events. But, we have a responsibility. Before we are swayed by emotions, we should go into the background of these events, look at the present and reflect on the future. In the recent past, the situation inside the gurdwaras of Punjab, especially the holiest of Sikh religious places - the Golden Temple and the Akal Takht so developed that even the elected management committee of the gurdwaras could exercise no control. Under these circumstances, despite repeated appeals, all that was against the teachings of the Gurus took place in these holy places with impunity. Even the appeals of the gurdwara management were ignored. With the result, the Gurdwaras, which were for our spiritual upliftment, for inculcating the teachings of Guru Nanak as enshrined in his supreme and universal Bani and, as ordained by Guru Gobind Singh, for imbibing the message contained in Guru Granth Sahib and were also for the devotees to visit, passed to the hands of a few terrorists. All types of dangerous weapons and such other things which were contrary to religious traditions, were collected at these places, and even used, ultimately making it difficult for the devotees to visit Gurdwaras. In this context, I cannot absolve those in control of Punjab Administration of their responsibility in the matter. The situation continued to deteriorate because of their laxity and carelessness The responsibility is also of the terrorists, as also of those who encouraged the terrorists while wanting to harm India The situation in Punjab provided them with an opportunity to seek to divide our country and break our age old bonds by violating the sanctity of our holy places. Getting inspiration from these powers, some young men and women and even some elder persons -took to the wrong path. And the path led to the murder of many Hindu and Sikh businessmen, farmers, journalists, politicians and religious leaders. Even the former Jathedar of the Akal Takht, Singh Sahib Giani Pratap Singh, was not spared. As is well known, he was a great man of our country-a known scholar, writer, preacher and a selfless being. It is likely that he did not share the views of those who had occupied the Gurdwaras through improper means. He too was murdered though he was 85, when he was resting at home. Such heart-rending happenings escalated. I do not want to dwell on them in detail; but I would say that many appeals were made to stop them. So far as I am personally concerned, I had been trying at times even by going out of the way, to put an end to them while maintaining the dignity of the President's office; but these happenings continued. Two religio-political leaders, when compelled, let themselves be arrested. Similarly. when the security forces issued an appeal, the terrorists should also have come outside the Gurdwaras to preserve the sanctity of the gurdwaras. It would have been better had they offered themselves for arrest and demanded that they be put on trial. But, it is not proper to conduct an armed fight by taking the shelter of gurdwaras and the holy Akal Takht Sahib. This has pained every right thinking person, especially those who have faith in Guru Maharaj and those Sikhs who know their traditions fully well. We know during the days of the country's slavery, many had to lay down their lives to rid the gurdwaras of the mahants and their misdeeds. At that time, the government of the day was supporting them. That was why, the Sikhs had to make many sacrifices.. The Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee was formed with a view to preserving the sanctity of the gurdwaras, to see that Gurbani was prescribed and the gurdwaras were managed in keeping with the pious teachings of the Gurus. In the Guru Granth is written: At the Guru's door one hears the Lord's praise, and Gurdwaras are those places: Kabiri seek Thou the Door that is ever open unto thee, And, leave not that Door ever, yea, cling to it tenaciously. The Golden Temple materialised, as conceived by the Fifth Guru. Later, on, the beautification of its structure continued. It became "Swarn Mandir". The Akal Takht was founded by the Sixth Guru, who kept his residence Chehhartha Sahib, about seven miles away, to establish the supreme traditions of the Takht. But those traditions were shattered and the conditions became such that: Such intense is our suffering, O Lord, and I have given deep thought to it. When no other alternative was left, then the Punjab government had to send the security forces. On reaching there, the security forces made an appeal. Acting on that appeal, two Sikh leaders offered themselves for arrest. Many others also courted arrest. Many devotees, who were in the temple left feeling that they had nothing to do with that fight. I don't want to repeat, but unfortunate events transpired. How the building of Sri Akal Takht suffered damage or how the damage to the main Golden Temple building was avoided, even at the cost of security forces jawans and many others sacrificing their lives-these will be probed into later. But the tragedy of those who lost their lives has left an indelible mark on my heart. These happenings could have been stymied but this could not be because the terrorists had taken over the complex premises. It is also being investigated, as told by our Generals, how these terrorists had acquired such dangerous and foreign weapons and what hand the foreign powers had in this. All this testifies to there being a deep-rooted conspiracy. Now, the question is the how to heal these wounds and how to face the facts? This is duty of both the government and the society as a whole. We should recall martyrdom of Guru Teg Bahadur and his pledge to protect those who had come to seek his help for the protection: Guru Teg Bahadur who protected the frontal marks and sacrificial threads of the Hindus And displayed great bravery in the Kali age. When he set off, all his devotees, in particular Saifuddin, did not allow Guru Sahib to move on for more than a month. They said, "You are going to Delhi. If you reach there, you will be beheaded." Guru Teg Bahadur replied, "No, I would like to be beheaded. I would go to my killers; but I would not hide in the holy Guru Astan. I would also not seek refuge in the house of a friend. I would not deceive anybody because: Whom-so-ever we give our hand Today, I feel very sorry that some people have appealed that Sikhs in Government positions, especially in the Army, should give up their offices. Does religion sanction this? Religion, in other words, means duty. Once, one has taken an oath of duty in the name of the Guru and does not abide by it, it is nothing short of cowardice and being led away. Therefore, I am thankful to those who performed their duties honestly and loyally. I know fully well that my government has not acted with the intention of vanquishing anyone or ensuring the victory of another-when adopting its course of action. My government is above the issues of victory or defeat. The real issue is how to heal the wounds have been there. Who was responsible for that? Only history will tell or investigations will reveal. I don't want to refer to these. But, with deep anguish I mention that I have been to Punjab-that Punjab which once smiled, played, walked, danced and sang, which was vibrant and prosperous because of its tradition of hard work that Punjab was now closeted in houses. Why did this happen? It is necessary to examine this in depth. Common Bonds Countrymen, the Hindus and Sikhs have a common ancestry, they are products of the same environment and milieu, they have wept and smiled together. But the time came when one community wept and the other smiled. This had never transpired before. I want that they would now again share their joys and sorrows. We should serve our motherland. We, the inhabitants of this country, are the progeny of this motherland. It is our duty to ensure that our mother does not face any trouble. All our religions have been nurtured in the lap of this Bharat Mata. Our country has holy places, saints and seers, the brave ones, scientists and servicemen and labourers and farmers. It is our bounded duty to share the sorrows of all these sections of society. I feel and also appeal to everybody that we should now foster unity. We should talk of peace; not only talk but also constitute committees which should help improve the atmosphere. In this way, we can forge unity once again. There is no harm in seeking pardon for mistakes one may have committed. There is need for us now to pay attention to rendering voluntary service in the holy place. And, I hope that not only the Sikhs but other devotees having faith in their own religions and having respect for all religions, will also volunteer for Kar Seva there. It is my desire that we undertake the Kar Seva of the holy Sarovar also, and share the religious fervour by carrying baskets on our heads. In this way, the wave of love and affection once started by Guru Arjun Dev in the city of Guru Ram Das will be arrived. In this way, we shall restore the glory of that place. Oneness Of Mankind My beloved countrymen, our great Guru taught us the oneness of mankind, notwithstanding the faith one professes and the way one offers his prayers. There is need for us to remember the saying of the Tenth Guru. He has said:
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