Dhruv Rathee Takes Down AI-Generated Video On Guru Govind Singh & Banda Singh Bahadur After Backlash From Sikh Groups

YouTuber Dhruv Rathee has taken down his latest ai-generated video,"The Sikh Warrior – The Story of Banda Singh Bahadur", after the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) raised serious objections to his new video uploaded on Sunday night.

The 24 minutes and 37 seconds long video covered key events from Sikh history, including the martyrdom of Sikh Gurus and the rise of Banda Singh Bahadur. However, the SGPC claimed that the video contains historical inaccuracies and misrepresentations.

In the video, Rathee uses artificial intelligence (AI) technology to create animated depictions of Sikh Gurus, martyr warriors, and their family members. These portrayals have sparked controversy.

SGPC general secretary Gurcharan Singh Grewal said the Sikh community did not require AI-based interpretations from Dhruv Rathee or others to understand or learn their history. He alleged Rathee of misrepresenting several critical historical facts, specifically those related to the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur and Baba Banda Singh Bahadur.

The committee has urged the government to take suitable action against Rathee 

Shiromani Akali Dal President and former Punjab DCM, Sukhbir Singh Badal condemned the video and said that such portrayals violate the "Sikh rehat maryada", which prohibits visual representations of Guru Sahiban and have deeply hurt the sentiments of the community. “The lack of respectful language and misleading narratives further aggravate this issue."

After the controversy, Rathee created a poll to seek people's opinion regarding whether he should take down the video or not.

Dhruv also issued a statement before taking down the video, "Thank you for your feedback on the latest video. Even though many of you appreciated the video and would like it to stay on the channel, I have decided to remove it because some viewers feel strongly that any animated depiction of the Sikh Gurus conflicts with their beliefs. I do not want this to become a political or religious controversy, because the video was simply an effort to showcase the stories of our Indian heroes in a new educational format."

In the controversial video, Dhruv narrated the story of martyrdom of Sikh Gurus, the Mughal atrocities, and the battles fought with them. He explained how Guru Tegh Bahadur was martyred, how Guru Gobind Singh established the Khalsa Panth and chose the Panj Pyare and how his children were martyred. He also provided information about the Sikh warrior Banda Singh Bahadur in the video.

The SGPC has stated that the content of the video goes against Sikh principles. It also objected to Banda Singh Bahadur being referred to as 'Robin Hood.'

In the video,Rathee states that Banda Singh Bahadur took wealth from Kings and landlords to aid poor farmers. However, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has objected to this depiction, saying it misrepresents Sikh history and has hurt the religious sentiments of the community.