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FIR in case of missing 328 saroops: Jathedar terms FIR ‘politically’ driven, SGPC calls for meeting on Dec 11
The SGPC chief secretary Kulwant Singh Manan said letters regarding the meeting have been sent to the office-bearers and other members of the executive committee, and the matter of the FIR would be discussed in the meeting.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami has called a special meeting of its executive committee on December 11 on the issue of the FIR registered by the Punjab Police in connection with the case of the missing 328 saroops of Guru Granth Sahib. Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj on Monday termed the action as ‘politically motivated and direct interference in the Sikh institutions.’
The SGPC chief secretary Kulwant Singh Manan said letters regarding the meeting have been sent to the office-bearers and other members of the executive committee, and the matter of the FIR would be discussed in the meeting.
The FIR against 16 individuals, mostly former SGPC officials and staffers, was registered nearly five years after the matter came to light. The matter was exposed by the human rights advocacy group Punjab Human Rights Organisation (PHRO) in a letter to Akal Takht and the then-Punjab chief secretary in 2020. The FIR was registered under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 295 (injuring or defiling a place of worship or sacred object with intent to insult a religion), 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings), 409 (criminal breach of trust), 465 (forgery) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) at Police Station Division-C Amritsar Commissionerate.
Satinder Singh Kohli, former CA of SGPC and considered close to the Badal family, is also among those booked. The FIR was registered on a complaint of sacked Golden Temple hazuri raagi Bhai Baldev Singh Wadala, who is head of Sikh Sadbhawna Dal and has been spearheading a dharna at the heritage street near the Golden Temple to seek justice in the case. The FIR was registered on the basis of the inquiry report prepared by Telangana high court lawyer Ishar Singh-led panel that was appointed by the Akal Takht.
Speaking to the media after the Sikh clergy’s meeting, Giani Gargaj said that according to the report submitted by the three-member inquiry commission headed by Ishar Singh, the SGPC has already taken appropriate action against the responsible officers and employees in the case.
“This action had been duly approved by the then jathedar of Akal Takht Sahib, Giani Harpreet Singh, as well as by the five Singh sahibans. At that time, the executive committees had also appeared before Sri Akal Takht and sought forgiveness. The SGPC had passed a resolution in its general house and sought forgiveness from the Khalsa Panth”, he said.
Jathedar Gargaj further said this case pertains to financial mismanagement, not sacrilege. “The personal involvement of Punjab Vidhan Sabha speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan and the minister Harjot Singh Bains, who in the past had undergone tankhah (religious punishment) at Akal Takht, clearly indicates that this action is driven by political motives,” the jathedar alleged.
