Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said the sacrifice of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh guru, would continue to serve as an inspiration for generations, while addressing the first day of the two-day celebration of the guru’s 400th birth anniversary at Red Fort here.
Mr. Shah said it was because of the sacrifices of Guru Tegh Bahadur and Guru Gobind Singh that India was free and celebrating 75 years of Independence.
He said the Sikh guru was being remembered from the place where the order for his execution was issued by the Mughals for resisting cruelty towards Kashmiri Pandits.
“There is no one in the country who is not overwhelmed by Guru Tegh Bahadur’s sacrifice. Hindu or Sikh, everyone has devotion towards him,” Mr. Shah said, referring to his beheading for supporting Hindus’ religious freedom.
Mr. Shah said those who had ordered the beheading were gone but Guru Tegh Bahadur was remembered across the country by crores today.
Earlier in the event, 400 students from Guru Harkrishan Public School performed a kirtan. On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the gathering.
Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee president Harmeet Singh Kalka said it would be a first for the Prime Minister to address the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on any occasion other than Independence Day.
