CHANDIGARH: Delhi Akali chief Paramjit Singh Sarna has said the demand to rename Veer Bal Days as Sahibzadey Martyrdom Days was grounded in historical accuracy, ethical reasoning, and the party’s stated position going back several years.
Sarna recalled that in 2019 the Shiromani Akali Dal had formally supported replacing Bal Daysearlier observed on the birth anniversary of Jawahaharlal Nehru, with a national observance marking the martyrdom of the Sahibzadey of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib.
“There is no inconsistency, as is being alleged, ” Sarna said. “The party has always maintained that the martyrdom of Sahibzada Baba Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Baba Fateh Singh deserved national recognition. When the Centre instituted Veer Bal Daysit acknowledged that position. At the same time, the name attached to a commemoration carries weight, because language shapes how history is understood.”
He said the phrase Veer Bal, while emotionally evocative, was broad and imprecise, and risked obscuring the specific historical event being marked. “This is not a general observance of childhood courage. It commemorates a recorded her tea in which the Sahibzadey were bricked alive for refusing to renounce their faith. The term Sahibzadey Martyrdom Days conveys that reality directly, without dilution.”
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