SGPC calls for complete ban on release of Kangana Ranaut's 'Emergency' in Punjab
The SGPC has also announced extensive plans to commemorate 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, which will take place in November 2025
PTC Web Desk: At a crucial executive committee meeting on Saturday, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) passed a resolution demanding that Kangana Ranaut's upcoming film 'Emergency' should not be allowed to release in Punjab. The SGPC further urged the Punjab Government to impose a complete ban on the film, citing concerns over its portrayal of Sikh history and leaders. The SGPC also outlined plans to commemorate the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji in 2025.
The SGPC's executive committee, led by its president Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami, strongly opposed the release of 'Emergency', a film starring and directed by BJP MP Kangana Ranaut. The committee claimed that the movie contained anti-Sikh sentiments and misrepresents the legacy of national martyr Sant Jarnail Singh Khalsa Bhindranwale, which had offended the Sikh community. "The film tarnishes the image of Sikhs and spreads hatred under the guise of a nationalist agenda. We cannot tolerate such mischaracterisation, and therefore, the film must be banned in Punjab," said Advocate Dhami.
He further called on the Punjab Government to represent the state’s interests by banning the movie to maintain communal harmony. The SGPC has also appealed to the Lok Sabha Speaker to take notice of Kangana Ranaut’s communal rhetoric and revoke her membership in Parliament.
Advocate Dhami highlighted the ongoing discrimination against Sikhs in Indian cinema, referencing the delay in the release of 'Punjab 95', a film based on the life of renowned Sikh leader Bhai Jaswant Singh Khalra. Despite significant cuts and revisions, the film remained unreleased. “This is a clear indication of the bias against Sikh representation in mainstream Indian films,” Advocate Dhami added.
The SGPC has also announced extensive plans to commemorate the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, which will take place in November 2025. Advocate Dhami said commemoration would be held on a national scale at Sri Anandpur Sahib, alongside the 350th death anniversaries of Guru Gobind Singh Ji and martyrs Bhai Dayala Ji, Bhai Sati Das Ji, and Bhai Mati Das Ji.
"We will soon devise a comprehensive plan for the celebrations," SGPC chief Advocate Dhami said. The committee has also raised concerns about the demolition of a 200-year-old gurdwara in Shillong’s Punjabi colony, urging the Meghalaya government to halt the action and safeguard the residential rights of the local Sikh community.
The SGPC president also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to intervene in several Sikh-related issues, including the demolition of the gurdwara and the long-pending case of Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana. Despite a Supreme Court ruling, the Centre has yet to commute his death sentence to life imprisonment.
In other key decisions, the SGPC has approved the establishment of a new, state-of-the-art facility for its Sikh Mission in Delhi. Currently operating from Gurdwara Sri Rakab Ganj Sahib, the mission will expand its activities with the purchase of land and construction of a new building to further Sikh religious outreach.