Amritsar-Sri Akal Takht Sahib, in collaboration with the entire Khalsa Panth and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee , today held an Ardas (prayer) ceremony at Harike Pattan in memory of all Sikh martyrs of 1984 and the subsequent decade, as well as Panthic martyr Bhai Jaswant Singh Khalra. The prayers were also offered for justice for the victims' families and the Sikh community.
During the ceremony, the sacred Guru Granth Sahib was respectfully installed in a special Palki Sahib, followed by the recitation of Sri Sukhmani Sahib. Thereafter, the Hazoori Ragis led by Bhai Simarpreet Singh from Sachkhand Sri Harmandir Sahib performed soulful Gurbani Kirtan for the congregation.
The concluding Ardas was personally performed by Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj, Officiating Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib and Jathedar of Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib.
In his prayer, Jathedar Gargajj remembered the sons and daughters of Punjab who were cremated as "unclaimed" and whose bodies were dumped into rivers. He prayed for the Khalsa Panth to be blessed with the strength to continue its struggle for justice. Referring to Harike Pattan, where the congregation had gathered, he said that thousands of young men, women, elderly people and children—including Panthic martyr Bhai Jaswant Singh Khalra—were murdered and their bodies disposed of in the rivers at this very place.
He further prayed, saying that while all enmity should end after death, the oppressive governments of the time violated fundamental human rights by declaring the bodies of Sikhs and Hindus as "unclaimed" and denying them to their families. He prayed that the Almighty Himself hold accountable those rulers who continued their hostility even towards the dead. He also recalled that countless young Sikhs were killed, dismembered, and their remains dumped into the confluence of the Sutlej and Beas rivers at Harike, as well as into other rivers, canals, and waterways across Punjab. He prayed that the Khalsa Panth be blessed with the determination and strength to secure justice for the sons and daughters of Punjab, and also sought blessings for the families and children of the martyrs to remain in high spirits.
Following the Ardas, the Hukamnama (holy edict) was recited by Giani Nishan Singh, Head Granthi of Gurdwara Bir Baba Budha Ji Thatta.
Addressing the congregation afterward, Jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj made two significant announcements. He directed the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee to establish a "Shaheedi Pattan Memorial" at Harike Pattan with the support of the Khalsa Panth. He declared that from this day onward, the site where Sikh youth were martyred and their dismembered bodies thrown into the rivers would be known as "Sikh Shaheedi Pattan."
Jathedar Gargajj also announced that Sri Akal Takht Sahib, through the SGPC, would comprehensively document the details of all Sikh martyrs from 1982 to 1995, including those who were killed, declared unclaimed, and cremated without being handed over to their families. He said these records would become part of the official archives of Sri Akal Takht Sahib.
Speaking to the media on the occasion, SGPC President Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami said that Shaheed Bhai Jaswant Singh Khalra fought tirelessly to secure justice for the young Sikhs who were cremated after being declared "unclaimed." He said that, in an attempt to silence the voice of truth, the police abducted Bhai Khalra, subjected him to torture, martyred him, and disposed of his body in a river.
Advocate Dhami said that Bhai Jaswant Singh Khalra is a Panthic martyr who commands immense respect within the Sikh community. He added that the SGPC would implement the directive issued by the Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib to construct a Shaheedi Memorial at Harike Pattan, where the names of the martyrs would be inscribed. He further stated that the SGPC would compile comprehensive data on all the martyrs and prepare an official record documenting them. He appealed to the families of the martyrs, as well as anyone possessing information related to that period, to submit it to the SGPC.
Among those present at the ceremony were Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) President Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami; Jathedar of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib Giani Tek Singh; SGPC Junior Vice-President S. Baldev Singh Kalyan; Chief Secretary S. Kulwant Singh Mannan; Internal Committee Member S. Mangwinder Singh Khaparkheri; SGPC members Bhai Rajinder Singh Mehta, Bhai Gurcharan Singh Grewal, S. Gurbachan Singh Karmunwala, S. Surjit Singh Bhittewad, Advocate Bhagwant Singh Sialka, S. Baljit Singh Jalal Usma, Bhai Manjit Singh, S. Gurmeet Singh Booh, S. Khushwinder Singh Bhatia and S. Jarnail Singh Dogranwal; Dharam Prachar Committee member S. Sukhwaras Singh Pannu; senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader S. Virsa Singh Valtoha; S. Eman Singh Mann of Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar); S. Kanwarpal Singh of Dal Khalsa; Acting President of Shiromani Akali Dal Waris Punjab De S. Tarsem Singh; SGPC Secretary S. Balwinder Singh Kahlwan; Additional Secretary S. Bijay Singh; Deputy Secretary S. Gurnam Singh; General Manager of Sri Darbar Sahib S. Major Singh; In-charge S. Jagdish Singh Butter; Media Advisor S. Jaskaran Singh; along with a large gathering of the Sikh sangat.