An urgent meeting at Chandigarh on Tuesday, October 6, 2026 signalled that Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is moving to directly engage with Sikh community grievances — sitting down with Gurpreet Singh Khalsa, the head of the Dharma Yudh Morcha (Righteous War Front) currently underway in Batala, to hold what he described as a frank, wide-ranging discussion on critical Panthic matters.

What the CM committed to on SGPC elections

At the centre of the talks was a demand that has been simmering for years: the long-overdue elections to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the apex body that administers Sikh shrines across Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh. Mann stated publicly that his government is 'fully serious' about ensuring these elections — stalled for several years — are held without further delay. The SGPC's elected body holds enormous religious and institutional authority for the Sikh community, making the elections a matter of deep communal importance, not just procedural governance.

SIT to be formed after the Anandpur Sahib incident

The meeting also addressed a distressing incident at Sri Anandpur Sahib, a city of profound sacred significance as the birthplace of the Khalsa Panth. CM Mann expressed deep grief over the episode and gave a firm assurance that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) will be constituted immediately to conduct a thorough probe. He pledged that the investigation will be completed swiftly and that the strictest possible action will be taken against those found guilty. The specific nature of the Anandpur Sahib incident was not detailed in the post, but the government's decision to fast-track an SIT signals it is treating the matter with exceptional seriousness.

Mann's broader pledge on Panthic affairs

Wrapping up his account of the meeting, Mann underlined a government-wide commitment: 'ਸਾਡੀ ਸਰਕਾਰ ਹਰ ਪੰਥਕ ਮਸਲੇ ਦੇ ਜਲਦ ਅਤੇ ਢੁੱਕਵੇਂ ਹੱਲ ਲਈ ਵਚਨਬੱਧ ਹੈ' ('Our government is committed to the prompt and appropriate resolution of every Panthic issue'). The statement positions the AAP-led Punjab government as a responsive interlocutor on Sikh religious and community concerns — territory that has historically been contested between the ruling party, the Shiromani Akali Dal, and various Sikh organisations.

With the Dharma Yudh Morcha in Batala adding street-level pressure, and the Anandpur Sahib incident requiring credible accountability, the next few weeks will test whether Mann's assurances translate into action — on the SIT timeline, and on finally fixing a date for the SGPC polls.