ANANDPUR SAHIB, November 24 — The Punjab Legislative Assembly will hold a special sitting in Anandpur Sahib on Sunday as the city prepares for large-scale religious gatherings marking the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur.
A notification issued by Governor Gulab Chand Kataria called the Tenth Session under Clause (1) of Article 174 of the Constitution, directing legislators to assemble at the Bhai Jaita Ji Memorial in Sri Anandpur Sahib at 1 p.m. Officials noted that the decision coincides with a three-day state observance from November 23 to 25.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, in a post on X, invited people from across India and abroad to witness the ceremonies, saying they would serve as a moment to reflect on the Guru’s sacrifice. “These commemorations allow us to pause and absorb Guru Tegh Bahadur’s message,” he wrote.
On Tuesday, Mann joined AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal at a Kirtan Darbar at Gurdwara Chatti Patshahi in Srinagar. The chief minister announced that a ‘jathha’ of devotees, including Kashmiri Pandits, would begin travelling to Anandpur Sahib on Wednesday. The group is expected to move through Jammu, Pathankot, Dasuya, Hoshiarpur and Garhshankar, reaching the city by November 22.
Three more jathhas are scheduled to depart from Amritsar Sahib, Damdama Sahib and Tarn Taran Sahib, and will join the events between November 22 and 23. Cultural displays, including kirtan recitals, a drone show, an all-faith convention and a light-and-sound depiction of Guru Tegh Bahadur’s life, are planned on November 23 and 24.
Mann said the convention would present “historic decisions that were never taken before.” The Ninth Sikh Guru, born in 1621 in Amritsar to Guru Hargobind and Mata Nanki, is respected for his religious teachings and is credited for establishing Anandpur Sahib.
The special sitting follows AAP candidate Harmeet Singh Sandhu’s victory in the Tarn Taran Assembly bypoll by 12,091 votes.
