CALLING IT EXTREMELY UNFORTUNATE TO CANCEL THE SEMINAR ON GURU TEGH BAHADUR SAHIB’S MARTYRDOM, KANG URGES PU ADMINISTRATION TO WITHDRAW ITS DECISION, MP KANG WRITES TO THE VICE CHANCELLOR DEMANDING IMMEDIATE RESTORATION OF PERMISSION FOR THE SEMINAR, SAYS, GURU SAHIB’S HISTORY MUST BE PART OF THE CURRICULUM
(MOREPIC1) Face2News/Chandigarh
Member Parliament from Sri Anandpur Sahib Malvinder Singh Kang has strongly condemned the Punjab University administration for cancelling the permission to hold a seminar dedicated to the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib Ji. He termed the decision as “extremely unfortunate” and “painful,” urging the university’s Vice Chancellor to immediately intervene in the matter and restore the permission.
In a press statement, Malvinder Singh Kang, who himself is a former student of Punjab University and has twice served as the President of the Student Council, said that the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib is not only for the Sikh community but for all of humanity. He said that Guru Sahib’s sacrifice is unparalleled and unmatched. “Guru Sahib did not only sacrifice himself for the protection of religion, but to safeguard the culture and humanity of this nation,” Kang stated.
(SUBHEAD)The MP alleged that the PU administration took this decision under pressure from its ‘masters’ sitting in Delhi. “I am aware that the Vice Chancellor is under pressure from Delhi. The BJP-led central government does not want the history and inspiring legacy of Guru Sahib’s martyrdom to reach the younger generation,” he said. “On one hand, the nation is remembering the sacrifice of the 'Hind Di Chadar’, while on the other hand, in Punjab’s own university, discussions on his history are being prohibited.”
Kang informed that he learned from students that the administration cancelled the permission for the seminar, scheduled for October 27, because of the participation of renowned Sikh scholar and thinker Sardar Ajmer Singh, who is being labelled as controversial. Rejecting this reasoning outright, Kang said that Sardar Ajmer Singh has been in public life for over three decades, has no case registered against him, and has delivered lectures at universities in India and abroad. “Barring him from speaking is a direct attack on academic freedom,” Kang said.
He further said, “This is the kind of history that should be included in our syllabus so that the youth can draw inspiration from it and contribute to building a better future. But here, in a university established on Punjab’s sacred soil, even discussions about Guru Sahib’s history are being stopped.” Kang described this as part of a series of incidents like the removal of Shaheed Bhai Jaswant Singh Khalra’s photograph, which he said are attempts to suppress the voices of Punjab’s youth and Sikh heritage.
MP Malvinder Kang stated that he has written a letter to Vice Chancellor Prof. Renu Vig, urging her to allow the students to organize the seminar dedicated to the unmatched sacrifice of the “Hind Di Chadar” without any political pressure. “The entire world acknowledges Guru Sahib’s supreme sacrifice,” Kang said. “The university must rise above this narrow-minded approach and immediately restore permission for the seminar.”