- Sri Akal Takht ordered SGPC to archive Sikhs killed between 1982-95 militancy years
- A memorial named Sikh Shaheedi Pattan will be established at Harike Pattan by SGPC
- The archive will include Sikhs declared unclaimed and cremated without family handover
Sri Akal Takht on Monday told the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to create an official archive of Sikhs who were killed, declared "unclaimed" and cremated between 1982 and 1995 during the years of militancy, while also announcing a memorial at Harike Pattan, which it declared as "Sikh Shaheedi Pattan."
The announcement came after an Ardas organised by Sri Akal Takht and the SGPC at Harike Pattan in memory of Sikhs killed in 1984 and the subsequent decade, including Jaswant Singh Khalra, and prayers for justice for the victims' families.
Addressing the congregation, officiating Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj announced that Sri Akal Takht, through the SGPC, would comprehensively document the details of Sikhs killed from 1982 to 1995, including those who were 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.
The Jathedar directed the SGPC to establish a "Shaheedi Pattan Memorial" at Harike Pattan with the support of the Khalsa Panth and declared that the site, where Sikh youth were allegedly killed and their bodies thrown into the rivers, would henceforth be known as "Sikh Shaheedi Pattan."
During the Ardas, Gargajj said thousands of Sikh men, women and children, including Jaswant Singh Khalra, were killed during the militancy years and their bodies were disposed of in rivers at Harike and elsewhere in Punjab. He prayed for justice for the victims' families and sought strength for the Khalsa Panth to continue its struggle for justice.
Reacting to the development, Union Minister of State Ravneet Singh Bittu thanked the Jathedar for remembering all victims of Punjab's violent past in the Ardas. Bittu said he had appealed that the prayers should remember not just one section, but every innocent victim of that period, including civilians, bus passengers, police personnel, public servants and all others who lost their lives.
He said Punjab had witnessed one of the darkest chapters in its history and every innocent life lost deserved equal respect, remembrance and compassion. Acknowledging the pain of every victim was essential for justice, healing and lasting social harmony, he said, adding that the Ardas sent a message of reconciliation, compassion and collective remembrance while reinforcing the spirit of unity among the people of Punjab.
