Selected Editorials - The Sikh Bulletin

other than isolated cries of concern by a few individuals the vast majority of people calling themselves
Sikhs and all the ‘Sikh’ Organizations are oblivious to the undermining of the very basic principles of
Guru Nanak’s message that Akal Takhat is supposed to uphold.
‘Jathedar’ Vedanti has graced pages of The Sikh Bulletin many times since his appointment by Badal
after the unceremonious sacking of his predecessor, Puran Singh, on March 28, 2000, largely because of
his fraternization with unsavoury characters like Nanaksaria ‘Sant Baba’ Amar Singh Barundi. (See SB
May, June, Nov. 2000; June & Oct. 2001; Feb.& Aug. 2002.) and ‘Sant Baba’ Daljit Singh Chicago. It
did not take us long to see through him and in the June 2000 issue of the SB we identified him as a
‘Trojan Horse’. He has proven us right, beyond our expectations. He has consistently tried to present the
scums of Sikhi as its religious leaders. Unlike the tradition established by our Gurus who practiced what
they preached, Vedanti says one thing but does exactly opposite.
In the Tribune dated Oct. 30/2001, dateline Amritsar Oct.29, under the banner, “Drive against dera
system”, Vedanti is quoted as saying, “…meanwhile, Jathedar Vedanti appealed to the Sikh sangat to
oppose those who were running deras and adopting practices which went against the tenets and principles
of Sikhism. He said whenever any act of religious misconduct came to light the matter should be reported
to the Akal Takhat secretariat” …“Khalsa Panth had the potential to take care of its enemy”.
Khalsa Panth may have the potential to take care of its enemies but it certainly has not shown the ability
to recognize them. Most recently four such enemies were back, again, in this country – Tarlochan Singh,
caretaker of Kesgarh Sahib, who played a major role in protecting Daljit Singh Chicago from a
punishment harsher than listening to kirtan for his transgressions already well publicized in the media;
Iqbal Singh, caretaker Patna Sahib, who considers himself superior to the caretaker at Akal Takhat Sahib
and justifies his two marriages on the fallacy of two (or more) marriages of Guru Gobind Singh; Joginder
Singh Vedanti, caretaker Akal Takhat Sahib; and his tail, Ranjit Singh, granthi at Gurdwara Sees Ganj.
They were here at the invitation of Satpal Singh Khalsa, Son-in-Law of Yogi Bhajan, the deceased leader
of Sikh Dharma in the western world, who used Sikhism as a prop for his business practices in this
country. To understand the true character of this leader of Sikh Dharma, copies of various law suits
against him can be had from The Sikh Bulletin by those engaged in research in matters concerning Sikhi.
Vedanti speaks against derawalas, yet he graces their deras with his presence. Daljit Singh of Chicage, a
one time Giani in Chandigarh and Baba in Chicago became an instant ‘Sant’ after being blessed by
Vedanti’s visit to his dera, in May 2001, a visit that was vigorously opposed by the sangat of Chicago.(SB
June 2001). During his same visit we presented him with a dossier on Amar Singh, a world class con
artist and congenital liar, from whom he had already received a siropa in New Delhi on Nov.16, 2000.
Not only did we not receive any response from him to our dossier, he lead a delegation of likes of Avtar
Singh Hitt, then President of DGPC, Talwandi and others to Amar Singh’s dera in London in August
2001 and he has been there many times since then. While there he ignored the pleas of a Gursikh to be
taken to meet some of the victims of Amar Singh.
Remember his public statement about any religious misconduct to be brought to his attention Among
the first to be brought to his attention was the moral misconduct of Baba Dhanwant Singh, the rape by
him of the daughter of one of his devotees. Vedanti had assigned the investigative task to his wife’s
brother, Prithipal Singh Sandhu, who was then his SGPC paid personal assistant. According to reports
by the Shiromani Khalsa Panchayat, by accepting a bribe of several thousand rupees, Sandhu exonerated
the Baba completely. Public hue and cry that ensued resulted in Sandhu losing his job, ostensibly, not for
any misconduct but for being overage for SGPC job. Thanks to Panjab Police and Indian Judiciary Baba
Dhanwant Singh went to jail for committing rape. For some unexplained reason, even though Prithipal
Singh Sandhu is no longer an employee of SGPC he still accompanies Vedanti on his foreign jaunts and
press refers to him as Vedanti’s PA. More recently when the Sangat of Palatine Gurdwara took the case of
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