Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 23: Panthic Morcha (J&K) has strongly opposed the proposed function being held on Vir Banda Bairagi at Teachers’ Bhawan, Gandhi Nagar, Jammu on June 9.
Talking to media persons, senior members of the Morcha, Avtar Singh Khalsa, Surinder Singh Adv, Suchwant Singh and Balwant Singh said that the name of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur has been wrongly mentioned in the posters and social media by the organization going to hold a function in Jammu on June 9, 2019. They said this great warrior was baptized by the great Sikh Guru Gobind Singh ji at Nanded (Maharashtra) and then he went to Punjab to fight against the Mughals. An attempt has been made by some people to hurt the sentiments of Sikh community by changing his name.
Khalsa said originally, he was born as Laxman Dev in Rajouri district of Jammu division in a Rajput family. He was fond of hunting. One day he killed a pregnant doe and this incident changed his life and he become hermit and left home. He spent over two decades as Bairagi and later settled at the bank of river Narmada. He learnt `Tantra’ and became very famous due to his powers. He changed his name as Madho Das.
One day Guru Gobind Singh reached his hermitage. He tried his powers on him but he found that there was no impact at all on Guru Gobind Singh Ji. Later he bowed before the Guru Gobind Singh and became his pupil. Great Guru baptized him and told that his country needs his services. Pick up sword and fight for your own people. He remained under training of Guruji there for three months and then moved to Punjab on the instructions of Guru Gobind Singh ji. He was martyred as Sikh General and also became first Sikh ruler after Mughals.
They said efforts of this organization to change name and organize function will disturb peace and create law and order problem in Jammu. They warned the district administration not to allow conduct of this programme in connection with Shahidi Divas of Sikh General.