Gurdwara mgmt panel in Haryana doesn’t represent Sikhs: Dhami

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami said the current gurdwara management committee in Haryana does not represent the Sikh community in the state

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami on Saturday ‘appreciated’ Baljit Singh Daduwal for opposing the functioning of Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC).

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami was in Ludhiana to attend a ceremony at the house of senior Akali leader Maheshinder Singh Grewal.

Dhami, who was in Ludhiana to attend a ceremony at the house of senior Akali leader Maheshinder Singh Grewal, said the current gurdwara management committee in Haryana does not represent the Sikh community in the state. “The committee is rather being run by the central government and the current turmoil has proved it,” he added.

“The SGPC is the supreme body that represents the Sikhs. We have already expressed our desire that the government should be kept away from interfering in Sikh religious affairs,” Dhami said.

Former HSGMC president Daduwal has also accused the Haryana government of interference. Dhami said that former president Jagdish Singh Jhinda had resigned as a member of the committee, alleging meddling by the government in the religious matters of the Sikh community.

“After Daduwal and Jhinda, Didar Singh Nalvi, another member of the committee, also expressed his dissatisfaction over the election and claimed that due process was not followed. I would urge that any management committee that is formed should be under the supervision of the Akal Takht,” he added.

The Supreme Court had in September upheld the validity of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara (Management) Act, 2014, thus paving the way for HSGMC to control all Sikh shrines in the state.