N E W S
Sikh Women Stand for Their Rights

February 20, 2003

Amritsar -- The problem of discrimination against Sikh women at the Harmandir Sahib had been brewing for some time, but the issue took a turn for the worse recently when two Amritdhari Sikh women were forcefully prevented from participating in the sukhasan procession seva.

On February 13th, Mejinderpal Kaur and Lakhbir Kaur of the United Kingdom claimed that they were prevented by SGPC sevadaars from participating in the seva of the procession of Sri Guru Granth Sahib from the Darbar Sahib. The sevadaars attending to the procession prevented them from queuing with the male members of the congregation. The sevadaars said that they could not touch the palki sahib, let alone carry it. Only male members were allowed to do so.

In a phone interview from Punjab, Mejinderpal Kaur stated that the two were pushed and insulted by the sevadaars. One of the sevadaars said that his livelihood was at stake if he allowed them to join the queue. Mejinderpal was surprised that people were actually paid to carry the palki when volunteers were always available.

As a heated debate broke out and the two women argued about equality granted by the Sri Guru Granth Sahib and the Sikh Reht Maryada with about five of the sevadaars, Mejinderpal said, "no one helped us." Although there was a lot of sangat surrounding them, none of the men stepped in to help them, and the women were perhaps too afraid to speak out, said Mejinderpal.

Mejinderpal and Lakhbir wrote a letter of complaint to Jathedaar Joginder Singh about the incident. In the letter they also urged the SGPC to intervene to allow women to participate in the prakash and sukhasan seva. The whole incident was particularly surprising to them because they had seen taped interviews with Jathedaar Joginder Singh in London in December 2002 where he stated that Sikh women had every right to perform seva at Harmandir Sahib.

As the two awaited word from the SGPC and the Akal Takht, Harbeant Singh, Secretary SGPC, constituted a two-member inquiry committee, headed by Major Singh, chief gurdwara inspector. Mejinderpal said, "We found out about this from the press, we were never contacted to give our input into the matter."
In a letter to the Akal Takht Jathedaar, the Darbar Sahib manager, Ajaib Singh, alleged that the UK-based Sikh women tried to touch the palki (palanquin) and started threatening the SGPC sevadaars when they tried to stop them from carrying the palki. He claimed that it was the fault of the UK-based Sikh women who tried to browbeat the SGPC employees and the devotees and insisted on performing the seva which was against Sikh traditions.

Jathedaar Joginder Singh asked the SGPC to take steps to resolve the situation, keeping in mind the sentiments of the devotees and Sikh traditions. The Jathedaar was one of the signatories to a 1996 directive allowing Amritdhari Sikh women to perform seva in the sanctum sanctorum, but that sentiment seemed to be absent now. The manager of Darbar Sahib, Ajaib Singh, said there was no precedent in Sikh history allowing women to perform seva.

The inquiry committee did not find any fault with the sevadaars' actions.
In a press release issued by Voices for Freedom, Mejinderpal Kaur stated that, "We vehemently deny and do not accept the findings of the SGPC that we had threatened any SGPC Sevadars who had prevented us from participating in the Palki procession Seva at Sri Harmandir Sahib Ji on 13th February 2003. It is regrettable that the SGPC's Inquiry Committee has acted as a 'Kangaroo Court' and has not given us the opportunity to answer the counter allegations. This is in breach of the rules of natural justice. This counter allegation by SGPC is a mere fabrication to distract from the main issue of Sikh women's right to do Seva."

The women also stated that, "every Sikh feels that since the Sikh Rehat Maryada has endorsed an equal status to women there should be no second thought or need to seek counsel for a second opinion. Any attempt to seek counsel on this question is a delay tactic. We fear that the issue of right to do Seva by Sikh women is being deliberately protracted to appease the opponents of this right."

Mejinderpal and Lakhbir have sought the help of the Shiromani Khalsa Panchayat (SKP) and the Akal Akhara to resolve the matter. They have also found considerable support from Sikh scholars and intellectuals such as Jaswinder Kaur of Guru Nanak Dev University, former SGPC General Secretary Bibi Kiranjot Kaur, and former Jathedaar Darshan Singh. All have condemned the incident and are seeking immediate intervention of the Akal Takht Jathedaar and the SGPC chief to allow women to perform 'kirtan' and any 'seva' at the Harmandir Sahib.

But Mejinderpal Kaur and Lakhbir Kaur plan to force the issue. They are taking the campaign for the Sikh women's rights to do Seva to Chandigarh where they are meeting various Sikh organizations to marshal support. They have also started a petition for the cause and are in the process of mounting world wide support. Mobilization in Panjab villages has also begun. They are looking for support from Gurdwaras, organizations, and the sangat.

Mejinderpal Kaur says, "We want to approach the SGPC with a lot of backing" and ask that the problem be resolved. But they are not going to let this drag on for long. If the SGPC does not resolve the matter, a demonstration in front of the Akal Takht will take place on March 9.

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