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169 missing saroops traced to two Banga deras: Punjab CM at Maghi Mela
Addressing a gathering at the Aam Aadmi Party’s Maghi Mela conference in Muktsar, the CM vowed strict action and said that of the 169 recovered saroops, 139 were found to have no official record or serial numbers, raising questions about unauthorised distribution and mismanagement.
In a breakthrough in the investigation into the disappearance of 328 saroops (sacred copies) of Guru Granth Sahib, chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday revealed that the special investigation team (SIT) has traced 169 saroops from two deras in the Banga area of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar (formerly Nawanshahr) district.
Addressing a gathering at the Aam Aadmi Party’s Maghi Mela conference in Muktsar, the CM vowed strict action and said that of the 169 recovered saroops, 139 were found to have no official record or serial numbers, raising questions about unauthorised distribution and mismanagement.
“The sanctity of Guru Granth Sahib is paramount. Our government is committed to tracing every single missing saroop,” Mann said.
“Recovering saroops is not an achievement of the AAP government, but it is our duty,” CM said, adding that publishing of saroops is the responsibility of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) and that such institutions failed in their duty due to the Akalis.
“These leaders cannot be forgiven for such sins and mischiefs,” said the CM.
The recovery in Banga marks the first physical evidence of the missing scriptures being located outside official SGPC custody.
Of the 169, 115 saroops were numbered, and the remaining 54 had no serial numbers. Records exist for 30 saroops - 20 were given to one gurdwara at a village and 10 to another in Banga, according to AAP state media in-charge Baltej Pannu.
Probe conducted with due maryada: SIT
The SIT on Wednesday visited Banga-based religious place named Nabh Kanwal Raja Sahib and cross-verified the saroops in the presence of the management committee.
Situated in Mazaara Nau Abad village of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district, the present premises were established in 1971, though the site’s history dates back to the late 18th century.
“All the investigative proceedings were carried out taking care of due ‘maryada’. The SIT members found 169 saroops inside the premises. Of these total saroops, 20 were procured from SGPC in the name of village Mazaara Nau Abad gurdwara on January 8, 2009, while 10 saroops are in the name of Gurdwara Sahib Patshahi Nauvi of village Dosanjh Khurd of SBS district on the same date in the same year,” said the SIT spokesperson.
He added that instead of being given to gurdwaras, which procured these 30 saroops, they were kept at Raja Sahib.
“However, the administrative body and management of Raja Sahib had no record of the remaining 139 saroops. We have also recorded the statements of the members of the managing committee,” the official added.
A non-controversial religious place, the site has a vast following in the region, especially the NRIs. It also runs a charity hospital in its name.
Inderjit Singh, chairman of Raja Sahib’s management committee, could not be contacted for comments despite repeated attempts.
One of the members, pleading anonymity, said there are no discrepancies in the management of the saroops as they are kept with utmost maryada.
“Many of the saroops are over three decades old. Besides procuring saroops from SGPC, several NRIs, who possessed saroops, handed them to the sect for their religious upkeep,” said a member.
The case dates back to May 2020, when an internal audit at the SGPC publication house at Gurdwara Ramsar Sahib in Amritsar revealed a discrepancy of 328 saroops.
While the Akal Takht had initially conducted an inquiry and awarded religious punishment (tankhah) to several officials, the lack of criminal proceedings remained a flashpoint for Panthic organisations.
The AAP government registered a first information report on December 7, 2025, invoking sections related to criminal breach of trust, forgery, and hurting religious sentiments.
The SIT, led by AIG (Vigilance) Jagatpreet Singh, recently arrested the prime accused, former SGPC internal auditor Satinder Singh Kohli.
While the SGPC initially termed the state’s intervention “unwarranted”, the Akal Takht jathedar recently directed the committee to cooperate with the SIT in the larger interest of the Sikh sangat (community).
AAP sounds poll bugle
At the conference, the national AAP leadership set the stage for the next state assembly elections, stating that the party would contest the polls under chief minister Bhagwant Mann.
Former Delhi deputy chief minister and the AAP’s Punjab in-charge Manish Sisodia said that the “Punjab ki janta aaj nara laga rahi hai ke ‘agla mauka vi (Arvind) Kejriwal nu, agla mauka vi Bhagwant Mann nu. People of Punjab have acknowledged the welfare programmes initiated by the Mann government, and it can be gauged from the large attendance at the party’s programme.”
AAP made a political comeback at the annual religious mela this year after a break of 10 years.
On the occasion, CM targeted the Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Badal.
Mann said that Sukhbir often credits various development works to his father and the former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, but keeps mum on the alleged abuse of religion to meet their political ends.
“When the police had opened fire at the Sikh sangat in Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan in 2015, Sukhbir was the home minister, and his father was the CM. How can they shun their responsibility over these issues?” the CM said.
He further added that the Akali leadership had allegedly undermined religious institutions as per their political suitability.
Mann said that development works and transparency in job allotments are key marks of good governance of the AAP government.
CM said that the government would make budgetary provisions for a ₹1,000 monthly assistance scheme for women in the upcoming budget and maintained that his government has fulfilled every commitment made to the people of Punjab.
Sukhbir slams AAP over ‘poor governance’
Addressing a political conference, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal blamed the AAP for poor governance.
The former deputy chief minister said that the Bhagwant Mann-led government is working as a puppet in the hands of the Delhi-based AAP high command.
“Rights of Punjab and Punjabis have been compromised under the AAP government, and we intend to uproot it in the next elections. If the SAD assumes power, we will ensure that the water of the Rajasthan canal is diverted completely to Punjab fields,” he said.
He highlighted lawlessness as the major issue in Punjab and blamed the Mann government for failing to curtail it. “We will ensure drug traffickers are unable to secure bail for five years,” he added.
Saini hits out at AAP over ‘betrayal’ of farmers
Eyeing state assembly elections slated to be held next year, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) organised its first-ever political conference at Maghi Mela in Muktsar today.
Addressing the gathering, Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini charged the AAP government with failing to fulfil promises made to farmers, saying that even after four years, Punjab’s farmers are still waiting for justice.
“In contrast, the BJP’s double-engine government in Haryana is providing farmers with crop procurement at MSP, timely payments, compensation for crop losses, health schemes, and social welfare benefits,” said Saini.
BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh alleged that the Congress protected its leaders, who were found to be involved in the Sikh massacre in 1984, for decades, while after 2014, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the cases were reopened and action was initiated against the culprits.
{With inputs from Navrajdeep Singh, Jalandhar}
