The Akal Takht Secretariat announced on Tuesday that Mann’s scheduled visit on Thursday, January 15, would now take place at 4:30 pm instead of 10 am. According to the secretariat, the change was made after the chief minister asked for more time due to earlier commitments.
However, Mann publicly rejected this claim on social media. Posting on X, he said neither he nor anyone from his office had requested any change. He added that he would arrive at the Akal Takht at 10 am as originally fixed, stating that he would do so in his capacity as a devout Sikh.
Earlier, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj had announced that the chief minister was being called to account for what he termed repeated “anti-Sikh” remarks and conduct. He said Mann had made statements that went against Sikh traditions and had also questioned the authority of the Akal Takht.
The Jathedar further accused Mann of making comments that violated the Sikh Rehat Maryada and of casting doubt on the concept of Guru Ki Golak, which refers to offerings made in reverence to the Guru. He said such remarks had deeply hurt religious sentiments.
This development comes amid controversy surrounding the Mann government’s registration of a police case over irregularities linked to the printing and circulation of 328 copies of the Guru Granth Sahib. Officials of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, which oversees Sikh gurdwaras, have been named in the case.