Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj, the Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, on Friday delivered an address on the 42nd ‘Ghalughara Diwas commemoration’, paying tribute to those who died in Operation Blue Star and urged Sikhs worldwide to remain united against what he described as continuing threats to their identity, institutions, and autonomy.

Speaking before a gathering of Sikh leaders, organisations, and youth, the Jathedar called the events of June 6, 1984, the “Third Ghalughara”, a term used to refer to the Army operation to flush out militants from the Golden Temple, saying the “assault was launched by the country’s own democratic government, which deployed tanks and artillery against the holiest seat of Sikh spiritual authority”.

“The resistance put up by Sikh fighters that day had no parallel in modern history, a fact acknowledged by scholars and thinkers around the world,” he added.

The Jathedar drew parallels between the 1984 anti-Sikh riots that followed the Army operation and what he alleged are ongoing efforts to undermine Sikh identity today. He cited incidents of harassment of Sikhs in Himachal Pradesh and said, “Sikhs face discrimination when they step outside Punjab, while people from across India freely settle within the state. We are equal citizens of this country. We are not second-class citizens.”

He also warned against the new Anti-Sacrilege Act and alleged that it was part of active conspiracies to bring Guru Granth Sahib Ji and Sikh institutions under state control, weaken the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), and place gurdwaras under government authority.

He also reminded the gathering that the perpetrators of the Bargari Guru Granth Sahib desecration case remain at large, and that the accused behind the 2017 Maur incident are yet to be arrested. The Jathedar also raised the issue of Sikh political prisoners, appealing for their release.

Addressing the global Sikh diaspora, the Jathedar said that Punjab remains their homeland and spiritual root. He said, “I urge them to never permanently sever their ties with Punjab, to bring their children to Darbar Sahib, to teach them the glorious history of the Sikh nation, and—with particular emphasis—to never sell their ancestral land in Punjab.”

He also highlighted the upcoming 450th foundation day anniversary of Sri Amritsar Sahib, appealing to the government to clean up the holy city, noting that while all other Punjab cities have a plastic ban in place, Amritsar remains exempt.

Posters displaying pro-Khalistan militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, once the head of the Damdami Taksal, and his associates were seen at Sri Akal Takht Sahib. Pro-Khalistan slogans were raised after the Jathedar’s speech concluded.