Rape case against Chawla: Woman stayed at multiple serais,got ₹1-lakh aid, admits SGPC

Dhami had formed a four-member panel on September 22 after the SGPC and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) faced backlash from Sikh bodies and political parties over allegations that the Bahrain-based woman had overstayed in the serais after an FIR was registered against ex-SGPC member Chawla on August 21

Making the findings of an internal inquiry public, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) chief Harjinder Singh Dhami on Tuesday acknowledged that the complainant in the Amarjit Singh Chawla rape case had stayed extensively at multiple gurdwara serais in Anandpur Sahib and received a ₹1-lakh financial grant on the recommendation of the accused himself.

The SGPC chief said the rooms had been given to the woman in the same manner as they were allotted to ordinary pilgrims. (HT)

Dhami had formed a four-member panel on September 22 after the SGPC and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) faced backlash from Sikh bodies and political parties over allegations that the Bahrain-based woman had overstayed in the serais after an FIR was registered against ex-SGPC member Chawla on August 21. Following the FIR, Chawla resigned from his SAD and SGPC posts and reportedly left for Canada. He had denied the allegations as “false and fabricated”.

“The preliminary inquiry involved an examination of records, which showed that the concerned woman had stayed in serais of different gurdwaras on various occasions. The records showed that she had deposited the prescribed amount while taking rooms. It is completely incorrect to claim that the SGPC had provided the woman rooms and a vehicle without payment. The inquiry revealed that serai in-charge Amrik Singh had tampered with the register and subsequently inserted additional entries. Such tampering was found on two occasions,” Dhami said.

The SGPC chief said the rooms had been given to the woman in the same manner as they were allotted to ordinary pilgrims.

“However, other entries appeared to have been subsequently inserted by tampering with the records, and the handwriting in those entries did not match the sequence of the existing entries. A handwriting examination report would also be obtained regarding the two entries,” he said.

Based on the inquiry panel’s recommendations, SGPC secretary Balwinder Singh Kahlwan said former manager of Takht Kesgarh Sahib Malkit Singh and serai in-charge Amrik Singh had been suspended. “Malkit has been suspended for alleged dereliction of duty, while Amrik had been suspended for allegedly tampering with the registers and making incorrect entries,” he said.

Dhami said the SGPC executive committee approved ₹1 lakh in financial assistance from its Dharam Arth Fund based on an application submitted by the woman seeking help for treatment of her psychiatric illness. “The application was submitted along with relevant medical documents from a government hospital and dispensary. The assistance was provided on Chawla’s recommendation,” he said.

Dhami questioned Aam Aadmi Party Punjab media in-charge Baltej Pannu for making the woman’s phone records public while the matter was being investigated by the police.

“This was being done deliberately to target the Sikh institution. Pannu’s allegation that the woman had met him before staying at Anandpur Sahib and that he had subsequently informed Amarjit Singh Chawla about the meeting are false. A CBI inquiry will reveal the complete truth,” he said.

Questions over accountability,

not attack on institution: Pannu

Reacting to Dhami’s remarks, Pannu asserted that nobody was attacking the SGPC as an institution and that the questions being raised were directed at those responsible for running it and anyone who may have misused their position.

Addressing a press conference, Pannu stated that those responsible for running an institution must also be accountable for what happened under their watch. “The SGPC did not belong to any individual but to the entire Sikh community, and questioning those holding positions of responsibility was necessary to protect the institution rather than damage it. Why has Dhami not clarified who recommended the booking of a room for the woman at the Amritsar serai when she visited? The SGPC records will establish who booked those rooms and under whose recommendation,” he said.

SAD (Punar Surjit) seeks wider probe

A delegation of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjit) on Tuesday met the director general of police Gaurav Yadav and sought a wider probe into the rape case registered against Chawla, claiming that the case could be linked to a larger conspiracy.

The delegation, led by Gurjit Singh Talwandi, met the DGP at Punjab Police headquarters and demanded that investigators examine what it described as an alleged attempt to tarnish the reputation of the Sikh institutions. The delegation urged the police to immediately secure CCTV footage, call detail records, digital communications, visitor registers and other electronic and documentary evidence and subject the mater.

Mann assures SIT probe into Chawla rape case

Chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday assured a delegation of the ‘Dharam Yudh Morcha’, that the state government will ensure a swift, transparent and in-depth investigation into an alleged rape case against ex-SGPC member Amarjit Singh Chawla.

He said a special investigation team (SIT) will be constituted immediately and the strictest action will be ensured against those found responsible.

“The state government will ensure that the investigation is conducted in a fair, transparent and time-bound manner. The law will take its course and no person, irrespective of position or influence, will be allowed to interfere with the process of justice. The constitution of the SIT will help expedite the investigation and ensure that all relevant aspects of the case are thoroughly examined,” Mann said.

The assurance came amid repeated representations by Sikh institutions seeking an SIT probe into the matter.

Mann also reiterated the government’s commitment to holding the long-pending Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) elections without further delay and to resolving all issues concerning the Sikh Panth through timely action and due legal process.

“There should be no unnecessary delay in holding the SGPC elections. All legitimate steps within the government’s jurisdiction will be pursued in this regard,” he said.