Thousands of devotees throng Kurukshetra on 350th martyrdom day of Guru Tegh Bahadur

Thousands of devotees thronged the sacred town of Kurukshetra on Tuesday to commemorate the 350th martyrdom day of Guru Tegh Bahadur, revered as 'Hind di Chadar' for his sacrifice to uphold religious freedom. The Haryana government, led by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, organised the event at Jyotisar village, drawing pilgrims from across the state and neighbouring regions. Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the ceremony and paid homage to the ninth Sikh Guru. In a notable display of interfaith unity, 350 students from Patiala's Play-Way Senior Secondary School, belonging to Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Christian communities, presented soulful Shabad Kirtan for over 30 minutes, reflecting Guru Tegh Bahadur's message of universal brotherhood.

According to an official statement, nearly 4,000 buses were deployed to transport devotees to the venue. Several gurdwaras and saints arranged 'langar' for lakhs of people, with thousands of 'sewadars' serving meals throughout the day. Two large 'joda ghars' (footwear centres) with around 70 barricaded lanes were managed by sewadars from Gurudwara Mandi Sahib, sixth Patshahi Gurudwara, and nearby villages. Security arrangements were supervised by DIG Virendra Vij, with over 5,000 police personnel deployed and traffic diversions enforced. District Commissioner Vishram Kumar Meena said all arrangements were made under the chief minister's guidance and were appreciated by the devotees.