The Jathedar condemned the "mischievous" efforts for religious conversion. (FILE)
Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh on Thursday asked the Sikh community to think over the need for an anti-conversion law in Punjab, asserting that forced religious conversions will not be tolerated at any cost.
"Time has come for the Sikh community to think about raising a demand for an anti-conversion law in Punjab. As such a situation is being created in Punjab, the Sikh community needs to think about it," said the Jathedar.
The Jathedar's remarks came days after the registration of a case against some Nihang Sikhs, who were booked for allegedly disrupting an event organised by Christian missionaries in Amritsar's Daduana village.
On Tuesday night, four masked men broke into a church in Punjab's Tarn Taran district, vandalised it and fled after setting the pastor's car on fire.
The Jathedar condemned the "mischievous" efforts being made in Punjab for religious conversion by "some so-called Christian missionaries" and termed these as an attempt to divide communities, according to a statement.
He said for the past some time, some "so-called Christian missionaries" have been forcibly converting Sikhs by adopting hypocrisy, superstitious and fraudulent practices.
"Such practices are being adopted, to which even Christianity does not permit," asserted the Jathedar, alleging that families of poor Sikhs and Hindus from backward classes are being targeted He said Sikhs and Hindus of Punjab are being misled and blamed the government for not taking action on it.
The Jathedar called upon the Union government to take immediate steps and appealed to Sikh organisations to lodge complaints to the administration against "shops of hypocrisy" run by the missionaries.
The Jathedar of the highest temporal seat of Sikhs again demanded from the Punjab government to cancel the FIR registered against Nihang Sikhs.
"We have called a big programme at Sri Anandpur Sahib on September 5 and a resolution will surely be passed in this regard besides holding discussions on the issue," he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)