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Today in Sikh History :24th February |
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24th February |
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| 1922 |
through Feb. 26,
a diwan is held at Ghurial on the concluding day of 101 Akhand Paths. |
| 1929 |
An All Party Conference
was organized at Sri Akal Takhat, Amritsar for released of Sardar
Sewa Singh Thikriwala.
==> Sardar SEWA SINGH THIKRIWALA (1878-1935): Political activities
in PEPSU (Patiala and East Punjab States Union) centered around
economic and social but certainly not on religious considerations.
The problem of antagonistic relations between the landlords and
tenants was so enormous that it almost defied a solution. The biggest
issue, absentee land-lordism in PEPSU, made the struggle between
"Haves" and "Have nots" more bitter and even
violent. All important posts were exclusively reserved for a few
families that were near and dear to the Maharaja.
After the settlement
of disputes over the Gurudwaras, the Akalis from the states began
to agitate against the autocratic misuse of power by the maharajas,
chiefly Bhupendra Singh of Patiala. Sardar Sewa Singh Thikriwala
was the leader of this agitation. Therefore, Maharaja Bhupendra
Singh retaliated by having him arrested on a false charge of theft
and transferred from Lahore jail to Patiala. Akalis took up the
case of Thikriwala and let loose a campaign publicizing Bhupendra
Singh's amorous escapades and the sadistic behavior of his police.
Though Maharaja was able to win over a section of the Akalis, he
could not silence the Punjabi and Urdu press. The pro-Patiala group
was led by Giani Sher Singh and Jaswant Singh Jhabal. They condemned
the Akali agitation against Bhupendra Singh as a murderous war against
a brother.
In 1928, Akalis
from the states joined with Hindu nationalists and founded the Praja
Mandal (States People's Association). The mandal was later affiliated
to the All India States People's Congress, which in turn was associated
with the Indian National Congress. Sewa Singh Thikriwala was the
moving spirit behind the Association. He was arrested several times
and in 1935 succumbed to third degree torture by the Maharaja's
Jailers. As a result of the murder of Thikriwala, the anti-Maharaja,
anti-British movement gained momentum in all princely states of
the Punjab.
-Ref. The
Illustrated History of the Sikhs (1947-78), by Gur Rattan Pal Singh. |
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