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Amid power tussle: Haryana Sikh body chief, general secretary tender resignations
While no reason has been ascribed for their resignations, the development comes a fortnight after the ad-hoc body had sought the removal of member and former chief Baljit Singh Daduwal and general secretary Gurvinder Singh Dhamija for allegedly using indecent language in a gurdwara.
Amid the ongoing conflict in the faction-ridden Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (ad hoc), committee president Karamjit Singh and general secretary Gurvinder Singh Dhamija on Sunday tendered their resignations. A Haryana government spokesperson said the duo submitted their resignations to additional chief secretary, home, TVSN Prasad.
While no reason has been ascribed for their resignations, the development comes a fortnight after the ad-hoc body had sought the removal of member and former chief Baljit Singh Daduwal and general secretary Gurvinder Singh Dhamija for allegedly using indecent language in a gurdwara.
Later, Dhamija wrote to Akal Takht jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh, seeking celibacy and “dope” test of the HSGMC president. Daduwal, a contender for the chair of HSGMC chief, himself wrote to Haryana chief minister ML Khattar, seeking the audit of the HSGMC budget and funds from 2014.
Karamjit Singh had told HT that he will reply to Dhamija’s allegations of immoral behaviour at an appropriate moment.
What the law says
As per the HSGMC Act, the ad hoc committee will facilitate transfer of assets of Haryana gurdwaras, including moveable and immoveable properties, till elections are held for constituting a new committee. The ad hoc committee will be in place for 18 months. However, as per a recent amendment in the law, it can be constituted on more than one occasion if the elected committee to manage the Haryana Gurdwaras could not be constituted. The Act says that when a vacancy occurs in the committee owing to death, resignation or otherwise of a member, a new member shall be elected or co-opted in the same manner as in which the member whose seat is to be filled was elected or co-opted.
Power tussle for control of Sikh Shrines
The HSGMC which was constituted to facilitate the transfer of assets of 48 Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC)-controlled gurdwaras has remained mired in internecine struggles since 2014.
In 2014, a 41-member HSGMC team was set up by the then Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led Congress government. Jagdish Singh Jhinda was appointed president, while Didar Singh Nalvi was given the post of senior vice-president. Since then, the HSGMC witnessed power tussles between Jhinda and Nalvi on several occasions.
In April 2017, Nalvi claimed that he had been appointed president of the HSGMC as the member of the general body had removed Jhinda. But a few days later, Jhinda claimed that he has enough members to continue as the HSGMC president. In January 2019, Jhinda resigned on health grounds and Nalvi was appointed acting president of the HSGMC.
In August 2020, Baljit Daduwal was elected president for two-and-a-half years. In September 2022, Jhinda claimed he had been elected HSGMC chief at a general house meeting at Gurdwara Neem Sahib in Kaithal. Daduwal had termed his election invalid and unconstitutional.
The Supreme Court on September 20, 2022 upheld the validity of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwaras (Management) Act, 2014, and dismissed the petition filed by the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) challenging the constitutional validity of the law enacted by the Haryana government.
In December 2022, when Karamjit Singh was elected as the president of HSGMC (ad-hoc), Daduwal cried foul alleging that procedure was given a go by for elections.
