Srinagar Oct 9th :
Members of the Sikh community from various walks of life staged a peaceful protest at Gurdwara Shaheed Bunga Sahib in Bagat Barzulla, Srinagar, demanding the restoration and promotion of the Punjabi language in Jammu and Kashmir.
The demonstration was attended by representatives of the All Parties Sikh Coordination Committee, Punjabi Sahit Sabha, Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, Akali Dal and other organisations.
Several community leaders, including Jagmohan Singh Raina, Ajeet Singh Mastana, Dara Singh, D.P. Singh, Dr. Rekhi and Mangat Singh Jugnu, led the protesters and addressed the gathering.
The protesters raised slogans in support of their demands and urged the government to take concrete measures to safeguard the linguistic, cultural and educational rights of the Sikh community. They expressed concern over what they described as the neglect of Punjabi and stressed that the language forms an integral part of Jammu and Kashmir’s rich cultural heritage.
Addressing the gathering, the participants emphasised the historical, religious and cultural significance of Punjabi, particularly for the Sikh community, and called for its due recognition and institutional support.
They demanded that Punjabi be restored to its rightful place in the educational and administrative framework of Jammu and Kashmir. They also called for effective measures to promote the teaching of Punjabi in schools and other educational institutions to ensure that future generations remain connected with their mother tongue.
The protesters maintained that the preservation and promotion of regional languages were essential to safeguarding the region’s pluralistic identity and longstanding tradition of communal harmony. They stressed that all languages deserved equal respect and that Punjabi should retain its place in the region’s cultural and educational landscape.
The participants appealed to the government to initiate meaningful dialogue with community representatives and address their concerns. The protest concluded with a renewed call for the protection, promotion and restoration of Punjabi language in Jammu and Kashmir.