On the occasion of Guru Gobind Singh's birth anniversary on January 9 this year, the prime minister had announced that December 26 will be observed as 'Veer Bal Diwas'.
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday paid tributes to Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh, Guru Gobind Singh's sons who laid down their lives while defending their faith, sections of the Sikh community pressed a demand for the day to be observed as 'Sahibzade Shahadat Diwas.'
Their martyrdom day is observed as 'Veer Baal Diwas'. On the occasion of Guru Gobind Singh's birth anniversary on January 9 this year, the prime minister had announced that December 26 will be observed as 'Veer Bal Diwas'.
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) chief Harjinder Singh Dhami on Sunday asked the Sikh community to observe the martyrdom day of the sons of Guru Gobind Singh as 'Sahibzade Shahadat Diwas' instead of 'Veer Bal Diwas.'
"Observing the martyrdom day of 'Sahibzadas' as Veer Bal Diwas by the government of India is a mischievous conspiracy to undermine the greatest martyrdom ... in the world's religious history," Dhami said.
"If the government really wants to pay homage to Sahibzadas, then what is the problem in observing this day as 'Sahibzade Shahadat Diwas,'" he asked. He said that it’s a historic fact that sacrifice of Guru Gobind Singh's two sons was important in uprooting the Mughals from north.
But, Dhami said, the way the government is insisting on marking the day as Veer Bal Diwas, it is clear that it is "playing politics at the behest of anti-Sikh forces."
The SGPC too had earlier objected to the name of the day and asked the government to change it to 'Sahibzade Shahadat Diwas.'
Dhami said that on the order of the Akal Takht, a committee of Sikh scholars had suggested the name 'Sahibzade Shahadat Diwas.' He said the SGPC had sent a letter in this matter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Ministry of Culture. "But still the government did not change the name."
(With inputs from PTI)