Goa, Jan. 5 -- Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday said he would appear before Sri Akal Takht Sahib "not as a Chief Minister, but as a humble Sikh," responding to the summons issued by the Sikh body. Expressing deep reverence, Mann said he bows his head to the authority of Sri Akal Takht Sahib and will present himself barefoot in obedience to its directive.

Mann also sought forgiveness in connection with January 15, the day President Droupadi Murmu is scheduled to attend a conference at Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar. "For me, Sri Akal Takht Sahib Ji and the sacred directive issued from this revered Takht stand above everything else," he said.

Earlier, Akal Takht Jathedar Kuldeep Singh Garhgajj summoned Mann to appear i...