:Holy City Issue: “Jhatka Meat Is Our Right!” — Bibi Kiranjot Kaur Questions Punjab Government’s Decision on Holy Cities
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, December 16, 2025:
SGPC member, senior Akali leader and granddaughter of Master Tara Singh, Bibi Kiranjot Kaur, has raised questions over the Punjab government’s decision to grant Holy City status to three cities in the state.
In a post shared on social media, she wrote that for Sikhs, tobacco and Kutha (Halal) meat are considered bajjar kurehit (major religious prohibitions). Alcohol and other intoxicants are also prohibited in Sikhism, she said, but Jhatka meat is the rightful practice of Sikhs.
She further stated that the Akali Dal had organised a “Jhatka Conference” in 1935 in support of Jhatka meat. Referring to Sikh history, she said there are numerous accounts of the Sikh Gurus and Sikhs engaging in hunting. She cited an anecdote of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, stating that during a solar eclipse at Kurukshetra, he cooked deer meat.
Bibi Kiranjot Kaur also appealed to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) President to formally raise objections with the Punjab government on this issue. She urged a return to the Sikh code of conduct, asserting that Sikh traditions should not be overshadowed by practices associated with deras.
It may be recalled that a resolution passed during the special session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha held at Anandpur Sahib on November 24 had mentioned restrictions on the sale of meat and the closure of meat shops and restaurants in the proposed Holy Cities, which has since triggered debate and objections from taksali woman panthak leader.