Sri Akal Takht urges Sikh MPs to press Centre for renaming ‘Veer Bal Diwas’ in Parliament
Babushahi Bureau
Amritsar (Punjab), December 9, 2025: The Sri Akal Takht Sahib, the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs, has issued an important directive to all Sikh Members of Parliament, urging them to take up the demand for renaming the Centre-declared ‘Veer Bal Diwas’ in the upcoming Parliamentary session.
Acting on the instructions of Acting Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, the Akal Takht Secretariat has written a formal letter to all Sikh MPs in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
The letter calls for united pressure on the Central government to officially rename the commemorative day as ‘Sahibzade Shahadat Diwas’, in honour of the martyrdom of the younger Sahibzadas of Guru Gobind Singh.
The communication notes that since 2022, the Central government has been observing the martyrdom of the younger Sahibzadas as ‘Veer Bal Diwas’. However, the Sikh community has consistently objected to the nomenclature, arguing that it does not reflect Sikh history, sentiment, or traditional terminology.
The Akal Takht stated that it has been receiving a large number of letters from devotees expressing deep dissatisfaction with the term. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) had also earlier conveyed similar recommendations to the Centre, but the government has reportedly not acted on the request so far.
In the letter, the Jathedar has instructed Sikh MPs to firmly raise the issue during Parliamentary proceedings and ensure that the government acknowledges Sikh sentiments by making the necessary change.
The MPs have been told to “put collective pressure on the Centre” and work diligently to secure the renaming of the day to ‘Sahibzade Shahadat Diwas’, which, according to the Akal Takht, is historically and religiously appropriate.
The letter urges MPs to consider this a matter of honour and responsibility and to strive to become “worthy of Guru Sahib’s blessings” through their efforts.
Who received the letter?
The directive has been sent to prominent Sikh parliamentarians from across the country, including:
- Dr Amar Singh (Fatehgarh Sahib)
- Gurjeet Singh Aujla (Amritsar)
- Hardeep Singh Puri (Union Minister, Rajya Sabha MP)
- Harbhajan Singh (Rajya Sabha MP)
- Harsimrat Kaur Badal (Bathinda)
- Malvinder Singh Kang (Sri Anandpur Sahib)
- Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa (Gurdaspur)
- Vikramjit Singh Sahney (Rajya Sabha MP)
- Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer (Sangrur)
- Sher Singh (Ferozepur)
- Sarabjit Singh Khalsa (Faridkot)
- Charanjit Singh Channi (Jalandhar)
- Amritpal Singh (Sri Khadoor Sahib)
- Amarinder Singh Raja Warring (Ludhiana)