The SAD-led Punjab government was on its toes as members of various Sikh organisations, including that of hardline groups, gathered on the outskirts of Amritsar today to take part in what they called 'Sarbat Khalsa', seeking to free Sikh institutions from political influence.


The last 'Sarbat Khalsa', a large congregation of Sikhs, was held in 1986. However, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and Akal Takht, Sikhism's highest religious seat, have refused to term it as 'Sarbat Khalsa', which is being held at Chabba village about 10 kms from the holy city.


The congregation is being held near 'samadh' (memorial) of Bhai Naudh Singh on the Amritsar-Tarn Taran Road under overcast conditions. The state government, which has faced back-to-back protests over loss of crops by farmers; and by locals over alleged desecration incidents of Guru Granth Sahib, has turned the holy city into a fortress with heavy security arrangements.