Amritsar: The Takht Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib Gurdwara Board has rejected a demand by the heads of 27 Sikh families in Nanded, Maharashtra, to excommunicate families whose women married non-Sikh men.When contacted, gurdwara board administrator Vijay Satbir Singh called the demand “something ridiculous” and “against the very basic principles of Sikhism, which promotes equality and teaches not to differentiate people by their religion”. “This is nothing but an act to gain cheap publicity and attract attention,” said the administrator.Earlier, a section of Sikhs from Nanded — including former members of the board — had appealed to the jathedar of Takht Hazur Sahib to issue the directives for excommunication.Manpreet Singh Kunjiwalae, a former member of the board, said he wrote the letter to the jathedar and it was signed by heads of 27 Sikh families, who expressed concern over the increasing number of Sikh women marrying non-Sikh men. “It is concerning that Sikh women are choosing to marry outside the faith, turning away from Sikh men. What’s more troubling is that instead of guiding them otherwise, many parents are supporting these decisions and accepting non-Sikhs as sons-in-law and fully integrating them into the family,” he said.He added they urged the jathedar to issue a formal directive on the matter during the upcoming meeting of the five Sikh high priests scheduled for July 24.
