Why Bhagwant Mann government’s Veer Bal Diwas order has angered Sikh community
THE AAM AADMI PARTY (AAP) government in Punjab has triggered widespread alarm by reducing rich Sikh history and sacred heritage to a shallow state-managed spectacle.
After commercialising the 350th martyrdom day of Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib Ji and turning solemn remembrance into a government event outsourced to private agencies, the Bhagwant Mann government has now taken yet another step that many scholars and community leaders see as a dangerous trivialisation of Sikh martyrdom.
AAP’s Veer Bal Diwas Order Sparks Outrage for Trivialising Sikh Martyrdom
The controversial Veer Bal Diwas order.
The latest directive, issued through the Punjab State Child Welfare Council for State Level Veer Bal Diwas – 2025, instructs districts to organise a Fancy-Dress Competition for children aged five to eight years.
The order requires children to dress up as the Chhote Sahibzaade, Mata Gujri Ji, Shaheed Bhagat Singh, and Banda Singh Bahadur, with district-level winners to be sent to the state-level event.
To many Sikh scholars, this official instruction reduces the most sacred figures of Sikh history to costume roles, stripping away the reverence demanded by Sikh maryada and replacing solemn remembrance with performative theatrics.
For the Sikh community, the martyrdom of Mata Gujri Ji and the younger Sahibzaade is not decorative folklore — it is the spiritual bedrock of identity, courage, and resilience.
Transforming these profound sacrifices into fancy-dress characters for government-managed programmes is seen as not only insensitive but fundamentally disrespectful.
A Disturbing Pattern of Insensitivity in Punjab’s AAP Government
This controversy comes on the heels of the theatrical Anandpur Sahib Vidhan Sabha “special session”, which Punjab Today previously analysed as an elaborate political stunt rather than a sincere legislative effort.
That detailed report can be read here:
Anandpur Sahib Special Session — A Political Stunt in the Name of Piety
This is not the first time the Mann government has played such “dirty games” with Sikh heritage. Earlier, the Punjab Government’s Diwali advertisements attempted to erase Bandi Chhor Diwas from the national imagination — a distortion publicly exposed by Punjab Today. That report can be read here:
AAP Rule: Festival Ads Divided by Geography
These incidents collectively reveal a troubling pattern in which the state repeatedly mishandles Sikh historical identity, replacing depth with optics, reverence with spectacle, and heritage with hollow symbolism.
Former Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh did not mince words in his widely circulated statement: “After making the Shaheedi Diwas of Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib Ji a government event, the Bhagwant Mann government is now moving towards mocking the sacred martyrdom of Mata Gujri Ji and the younger Sahibzaade.”
Giani Harpreet Singh’s rebuke
It is a searing indictment of a government that continues to confuse spectacle with sanctity. What the state presents as tribute is, in reality, commodification.
His remarks resonate widely among Punjabis, who increasingly fear that solemn remembrance is being displaced by public-relations theatre.
Punjab’s Sacred History Demands Respect, Not State-Managed Spectacle
Sikh martyrdom is not entertainment, and Sikh identity is not a costume. Reducing Shaheedi to a fancy-dress parade diminishes the historical and spiritual gravity of these sacrifices.
A meaningful observance of Veer Bal Diwas would encourage children to learn through history lessons, literature, Sikh primary sources, and thoughtful discussions — not through theatrical displays designed for administrative convenience.
A solemn Sikh remembrance reduced to a Delhi leadership showcase.
The Mann government’s approach reflects not only administrative misjudgment but a deeper disconnect from Punjab’s spiritual ethos.
The directive issued through the Child Welfare Council must be withdrawn, and the government must acknowledge the hurt caused to Sikh sentiments. Veer Bal Diwas should honour Sikh history with dignity, not reduce it to staged performances or politically useful imagery.
Punjab’s history is sacred, and its martyrs deserve reverence, not trivialisation. The AAP government must decide whether it will honour the legacy of Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib Ji, Mata Gujri Ji, and the Sahibzaade — or continue with spectacles that undermine the very heritage they claim to commemorate.
Punjab is watching. And Punjab remembers. 
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Also Read:
Anandpur Sahib Special Session — A Political Stunt in the Name of Piety
Punjab Power Engineers Revolt Against ‘Political Interference’
kanwar manjit singh
Kanwar Manjit Singh, Founder Editor of Punjab Today, writes extensively on Punjab’s history, governance, and the evolving landscape of civil liberties in India.
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