Congress leader Harish Rawat performs 'penance' at gurdwara for colleague's 'mistake'

Dehradun: Congress leader Harish Rawat on Monday served at a gurdwara in Aadhat Bazaar to "atone" for the "offensive" remarks made by the party's state election management committee chairman Harak Singh Rawat against the Sikh community.

Harish Rawat visited the Gurdwara Singh Sabha and prayed there. Then he performed 'langar seva' in the kitchen and 'shoe seva' in the shoe shop.

"We made a mistake, and today, by reciting the Gurudwara's Gurbani, they have purified us," Harish Rawat told reporters.

The remark under contention was made by Harak Singh Rawat, who had come to support a lawyers' protest in Dehradun on Friday, and targeted a Sikh lawyer.

His statement drew denunciation by the Sikh community in the state.

To defuse the controversy, Harak Singh Rawat visited the Paonta Sahib Gurudwara on Sunday and performed kar seva there, apologising to the Sikh community.