Amritsar, Mar 29 (PTI) A tweet by the Akal Takht jathedar pertaining to a meeting has been withheld in India, drawing a sharp reaction from the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).

SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami on Wednesday said the tweet of Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh has been withheld in India.

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The tweet pertained to inviting Sikh organisations, intellectuals, lawyers, journalists, religious and social leaders to a March 27 meeting in Amritsar to discuss the current situation in Punjab, following the March 18 action against those associated with the "Waris Punjab De" outfit headed by pro-Khalistani preacher Amritpal Singh.

Dhami said the Akal Takht Sahib is the highest temporal seat of Sikhs and whenever its "jathedar" gives a call to the community, it congregates accordingly.

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But by withholding the jathedar's tweet related to the meeting convened by him on March 27, governments have "exposed themselves that they are suppressing the voice of Sikhs in India and have not even left the jathedar out of its ambit", he said.

"On Tuesday, a Twitter post of the SGPC was withheld in India on a legal demand from the Government of India and on Wednesday, a tweet of the jathedar of the Akal Takht Sahib has been withheld in India in the same manner," Dhami said.

He said the Centre and state governments should immediately stop this "game being played by them together".

Dhami also criticised Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann for his comments on the jathedar through a tweet.

"Bhagwant Singh Maan's comment on Jathedar sahib is a direct challenge to the dignity of Sri Akal Takht Sahib and the Sikh community. He should immediately apologise to the Sikh community for this," he said.

Mann hit out at the jathedar on Tuesday for "provoking" people through an ultimatum to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab to release all Sikh youngsters arrested in the police action against Amritpal Singh and his aides.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)