Taking a strong note of the alleged recovery of objectionable items from police and paramilitary personnel staying in the serais of historic gurdwaras of Haryana, Akal Takht jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh on Thursday directed the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) to evict the personnel from their premises.
In a communique, he said, “It has been noticed that to stop Punjab farmers from heading to Delhi, Haryana police personnel are staying in the serais of Gurdwara Manji Sahib and Gurdwara Panjokhra Sahib in Ambala... Drugs such as tobacco, cigarettes, wine and other anti-Sikh items have been recovered from their possession. This is quite intolerable and has hurt the Sikh sentiments.”
The jathedar also termed the HSGMC negligent for allowing police to enter gurdwara premises.
“The HSGMC must keep in mind that it is not the owner of the gurdwaras but an administrative body, which has no right to allow police to stay there... Such kind of negligence will not be pardoned and stringent action will be taken against those responsible for maryada violation.”
Speaking on the farmers’ stir, Giani Raghbir Singh said, “It is not good for a democratic government to use force against peacefully protesting farmers.”
{{/usCountry}}Speaking on the farmers’ stir, Giani Raghbir Singh said, “It is not good for a democratic government to use force against peacefully protesting farmers.”
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami said, “It has been brought to my notice by the Sikh Sangat of Haryana that the police, who were called to stop the farmers struggling for their demands on the Shambhu border, have been allowed to stay in the serais (inns) of gurdwaras.”
He said complaints have been received that police personnel are consuming alcohol and tobacco inside the serais, which has hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community.
Takht Damdama Sahib jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh also took a strong note of the incidents being reported from Haryana gurdwaras.