Decode Politics: Sukhbir Badal declared ‘tankhaiya’, what it means to be held ‘guilty’ of violating Sikh code (2024)

Soon after the declaration, Badal, in a post on X, said, “I humbly bow my head and accept the command issued by the Sri Akal Takht Sahib. I will soon present myself before Sri Akal Takht Sahib to seek forgiveness”. On Saturday, Badal arrived at the Akal Takht Sahib in Amritsar.

What is ‘tankha’?

“Tankha” is the punishment for violating the Sikh religious code and a guilty individual is called “tankhaiya”.

According to historical accounts, the tankha practice originated with Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Sikh guru and the founder of the Khalsa tradition.

In 1707, upon arriving at the Dadu Dwara shrine in Rajasthan, Guru Gobind Singh raised an arrow at the samadhi (tomb) of Sant Dadu Dayal in violation of the Sikh code. Guru Gobind Singh’s act was aimed at testing his Khalsa followers’ conviction to his teachings, and five Sikhs gathered and asked Guru Gobind Singh to offer “karah prashad (halwa offered in gurdwaras)” to compensate for the violation of the code he had himself designed. By offering karah prashad, Guru Gobind Singh granted authority, respect and credibility to the process of atonement as dictated by the five baptised Sikhs.

Any Sikh can turn themselves in at the Akal Takht Sahib to confess their religious misconduct, and the Akal Takht can also summon a Sikh held in violation. Though any of the five Takhts can declare someone tankhaiya, it has become a tradition that major issues are addressed only at the Akal Takht.

Is tankha a punishment?

In most cases, tankhaiyas are asked to offer karah prashad, recite Gurbani or hymns, and perform services like washing utensils and cleaning shoes as part of their “punishment”.

In 1802, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the first Sikh emperor, was declared tankhaiya by Akali Phula Singh, the Akal Takht head priest, for marrying a Muslim dancer. The emperor was sentenced to be tied to a pillar inside Amritsar’s Golden Temple and whipped. However, Sikh leaders intervened and convinced Akali Phula Singh to show clemency.

Sikh writer Sarabjit Singh Ghuman, a known critic of the Badals, said tankha is often misinterpreted as a “harsh” punishment. “Tankha is not a sentence that is pronounced in judicial courts, as often translated in the media. It is often said that reading Gurbani or performing seva (service) at gurdwaras can be termed as a sentence. Some expect tankha to be much harsher,” Ghuman said. “But tankha is a religious practice of atonement among Sikhs, and once atonement is complete, no other Sikh can again bring up the past of that person. However, how other Sikhs respond to a Sikh who has completed his atonement will also be impacted by the dedication shown by the tankhaiya Sikhs during atonement.”

What is the status of a Sikh who does not complete tankha?

No Sikh can communicate with or maintain relationships with one who is declared tankhaiya. A tankhaiya’s excommunication can end only when they complete their atonement according to the sentence announced by the Takht in question. Tankhaiya Sikhs can offer prayers at the Golden Temple but not at the Akal Takht Sahib.

Though a declared tankhaiya, Sukhbir Singh Badal, is still the president of the SAD. However, Balwinder Singh Bhunder, a former state minister, has been appointed as the party’s working president.

Badal has said he will follow the Akal Takht’s directives but hasn’t resigned as the Akali Dal president. The tankha comes at a time when Badal is already battling a public image crisis, and refusing to resign as the party president during his atonement could hurt him.

How has tankha impacted other Sikh leaders’ political careers?

As circ*mstances have panned out, a person declared tankhaiya has never been able to get back to the same level of success in Sikh politics. Former President Giani Zail Singh, late Akali leader and former Punjab Chief Minister Surjit Singh Barnala, who later served as governor, and former Union Home Minister and Congress leader Buta Singh were among those declared tankhaiya by the Akal Takht in the aftermath of the Operation Blue Star at the Golden Temple in 1984. Since then, these leaders have seen their political footprints shrink considerably.

In 2014, then Haryana finance minister Harmohinder Singh Chatha, former Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) president Jagdish Singh Jhinda, and former Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) member Didar Singh Nalvi were excommunicated. The trio was accused of playing a key role in the formation of the HSGMC before the Akal Takht itself was able to establish it. Though the HSGMC came into existence later that year, the three leaders have since been unable to establish themselves in Haryana politics.

Also in 2014, Bikram Singh Majithia, then an Akali Dal minister, was declared tankhaiya for tampering with the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikhs’ holy text, during a speech in Amritsar in favour of BJP Lok Sabha candidate Arun Jaitley. This had a greater negative impact on Jaitley than Majithia though – Jaitley, despite being a favourite, lost to the Congress’s Captain Amarinder Singh. Since his loss in the 2022 Assembly polls, Majithia has not held an elected post though he remains the SAD’s youth wing president.

In 2016, Sikander Singh Maluka, then Punjab’s Rural Development and Panchayats minister, was held guilty of tampering with the Ardas, a Sikh prayer, during the inauguration of his election office in Rampura Phul. He was declared tankhaiya again in 2017 and has not won an election since.

Former Akali Dal minister Sucha Singh Langah was excommunicated in 2017 following a rape case registered against him. Though he completed his atonement, the SAD did not re-induct him into the party fearing the ire of the community.

In 2017, 40 Sikh politicians, mostly those who contested that year’s Assembly elections in Punjab, were summoned to the Akal Takht for allegedly demanding votes from the Dera Sirsa sect during the campaign.