Over the weekend, popular YouTube and social media influencer Dhruv Rathee published a 24-minute video titled 'The Sikh Warrior Who Terrorized the Mughals | Legend of Banda Singh Bahadur.' The footage used artificial intelligence and animation to show key instances and figures of Sikh history, including Guru Gobind Singh Ji, his sons (the Sahibzadas), and warrior Banda Singh Bahadur. Rathee endeavored to make Sikh history popular with a wider audience through this novel learning system, which featured narration and computer-generated pictures.
Expressed objections
The clip immediately prompted objections from major Sikh religious organizations, such as the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the Akal Takht, and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). Their primary grievances were
- Violation of Sikh Principles: Sikh principles unequivocally deny any visual or animated depiction of the Gurus, Sahibzadas, their relatives, and Sikh martyrs. SGPC and Akal Takht reiterated that no such depictions are allowed and contrary to Sikh tradition.
- Misrepresentations of History: Spiritual leaders and politicians condemned Rathee for misrepresenting important historical facts, particularly the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji and Banda Singh Bahadur. Others also took exception to Rathee's analogy of Robin Hood with Banda Singh Bahadur as a misrepresentation.
- Hurt Sentiments: Caricatured portrayal of such great Sikh leaders was said to have deeply hurt the sentiments of Sikhs across the globe. Specific scenes, i.e., showing Guru Gobind Singh Ji as a weeping child, were pointed out as being especially offensive.
The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) filed a complaint to the Cyber Crime Cell in written form, seeking government action and criminal prosecution under Section 295A, which pertains to deliberate acts meant to outrage religious feelings.
Dhruv Rathee's stance
After the backlash, Rathee addressed the issue on his Instagram story. He owned up to the problem, stating that even though a majority of the viewers enjoyed the video, he was aware that animated forms of Sikh Gurus contradicted the beliefs of others within the Sikh community. He uploaded a poll for Sikh audience members to vote on whether the video had to be deleted, promising to respond according to the community feedback.
Rathee stated:
"A lot of effort has been invested in making the animation video. With AI, it was easy to narrate the story in animation format. People liked that video too, but some Sikh people think it is not right to narrate the Sikh Gurus in animation format. It is not right to narrate Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji like this
He emphasized that if the masses felt it was objectionable, he would either take down the video or censor some parts, but pointed out the dilemma of telling these stories without presenting anything.
Escalation and official warnings
The matter turned sour when the acting Jathedar of the Akal Takht, Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, issued a stern warning to Rathee, demanding the immediate removal of the video. He once again asserted that Sikh Gurus and their relatives cannot be shown in any form of animation or other visual depiction and also criticized Rathee for even putting the issue up for popular voting, given the apparent religious taboo.
Latest update: video taken down
Rathee took down the video and poll from his social media platforms despite mounting pressure. In his latest Instagram story, he wrote:
"Thanks for the feedback on the new video. While I know most of you enjoyed the video and would rather it stay on the channel, I am removing it because some of you strongly believe that any animated depiction of the Sikh Gurus is disrespectful to your faith. I don't want this to become a religious or political controversy, as the video was simply an attempt at narrating our Indian heroes' stories in a new learning format. This learning format has huge potential. I will learn about other stories from our past to make new videos and will decide if I will retell this one in another form or not.”
Nevertheless, Rathee has deleted his AI-generated video on Sikh history in the face of widespread criticism from Sikh religious leaders and society members. The controversy has sparked renewed debate around technology, art, religion, and their intersection in India, with Sikh institutions now planning to introduce new policies to combat AI-generated content in the future. Ultimately, this serves as a reminder to all that religion, faith, or belief, regardless of community, should never be subjected to sacrilege.