Panj piaras ask Sikh community to socially boycott jathedars

The Panj Piaras (Sikh preachers) todayissued a religious edict asking the Sikh community to socially boycott the jathedars of five Takhts including Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh, a day after they were dismmised by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee.
They also asked the Sikh community to determine the fate ofSGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar and the newly-appointed chief secretaryof the committee, Harcharn Singh.
The SGPC had yesterday dismissed four of the Panj Piaras and declared fifth as retired. The dismissal is being seen as retaliatory as on last Monday, the Panj Piaras had asked the SGPC to remove the jathedars of the five Takhts by January 1.

The dismissed Panj Piaras, who are not allowed to enter Akal Takht, and the one who was declared retired today assembled in one of the gurdwaras a few kilometers away from the Golden Temple where they issued the religious edict.
They said the SGPC chief was time and again asked through the "valid" religious edict to remove all the five jatehdars for crisis over the flip-flop on the pardon to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.
Meanwhile, radical Sikh outfits Dal Khalsa and SAD (Panch Pardhani) said they have accepted the directions of the Panj Piaras for social boycott of the jathedars of five Takhts.

Their spokespersons said the edict has "articulated the will and desire of the community at large and the disgraced jathedars have no moral right to continue".