AMRITSAR
Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh on Thursday condemned acts of vandalism at Indian consulates in the UK and US by Sikh groups, who were protesting against the crackdown on Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh and his aides.
“Don’t commit any act which gives a chance to our opponents to malign our image in the country and abroad,” Singh, the jathedar (or chief) of the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, said in an interview to a web portal. “I came to know over phone yesterday that some people are speaking against (chief minister) CM Bhagwant Mann’s family members, including his children. This is wrong. If we say that our youths are innocent, they too are innocent. It’s not right to target them… this is not our religion.”
He said the acts of vandalism were damaging the community’s reputation. “Vandalism at Indian consulates abroad is maligning our image. By doing so, we are spreading a wrong message,” he said. “We should hold protests, but not in a manner that damages our reputation.”
He urged the protesters to follow restraint and “tackle with the narrative being created against us with unity.”
On the removal of his tweet, he added: “It makes no difference for me. They cannot suppress the voice of the community.”
