The Organisational Set Up of the Shiromani Akali Dal in Gurdwara Reform Movement

The Gurdwara Reform Movement from 1920 to 1925 has occupied a very important place not only in the Sikh history, but also in the regional and national history. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (S.G.P.C) was the result of Akali Movement. Soon after the formation of the S.G.P.C. its military wing, the Shiromani Akali Dal was formed by uniting the local Akali Jathas under one central body in order to intensify struggle against the mahants. The peaceful agitation was adopted as a weapon to fight the vested interests in the Sikh shrines on the one hand and the bureaucratic machinery in Punjab on the other. This weapon proved very effective. The Akalis were supposed to take the oath that they would not resort to violence. One of the most striking features of the Gurdwara Reform Movement was that it was carried on in the true spirit of non-violence. The agitation was stopped in 1925, when Sikh Gurdwaras and Shrines Bill (The Sikh Gurdwara Act VIII of 1925) were passed on 28 July 1925.