Sikh priests convene meet on female foeticide

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, APRIL 22. The edict issued by five Sikh priests from the Akal Takht on August 19 against female foeticide has evoked good response from other religious heads, social organisations, doctors, lawyers and intellectuals.

The Sikh clergy intends to convene a meeting of the religious heads as part of a campaign to curb the ``unethical practice'' of getting rid of female foetus despite the ban on sex determination tests by an Act of Parliament supplemented by State Assemblies legislation. Disclosing this to reporters, the Jathedar of Takht Kesgarh Saheb, Prof. Manjeet Singh - one of the five-member apex Sikh clergy - said that women organisations too would be involved in the campaign. The foreign media had described the directive of the Sikh clergy as revolutionary, he said. Other religious leaders should take note of the ill-effects of the practice of female foeticide. The clergy is flooded with congratulatory mes- sages on its decision from persons such as Shankaracharya Madhavanandji, Christian priests, national and international organ-

isations. The edict was issued in the wake of alarming reports of a fall in sex ratio in Punjab and Haryana. In Punjab, the sex ratio had fallen to 730 (730 females to 1,000 males). It was the moral responsibility of the religious leaders to ensure a proper balance in the sex ratio, the Jathedar said.

The five head Jathedars comprising Sikhism's religious authority are here to participate in the `Mahan Shaheedi Samagam', which concluded on Sunday. They include Jathedar Gyani Joginder Singh Vedanti of the Akal Takht, the religious and temporal seat of the Sikhs. Addressing a congregation, they warned that Sikhs indulging in female foeticide would be excommunicated.

The press conference was attended by Jathedar Bhai Iqbal Singh of the Patna Sahed while the other two Jathedars, Gyani Keval Singh of the Dam Dama Saheb, Head Granthi Jyotinder Singh of the Sach Khand Huzur Sahed (Nanded) were busy with the activity at the samagam.

Prof. Manjeet Singh explained that the facilities in Gurudwaras would be improved to attract youth and children by including computer training centres, sports and other recreational activities. The `dharmic' lessons then could be imparted to them in modern idiom. The Jathedar refused to be drawn into a debate on the claim of the RSS that Sikhism was part of the Hindu religion. He, however, clarified that Sikhism was recognised internationally as a seperate religion and he himself had attended many world Parliaments of religion as a representative of the community. There was no need to make an issue of the RSS claim.

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