Chaos erupted in the parikrama of Golden Temple on Friday after cops in plain clothes turned up there to apprehend two persons in connection with a case.
Taking strict note of the action, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) task force detained two cops in a room. They remained confined for a considerable period of time until senior police officials intervened in the matter and persuaded the SGPC to release them.
Confirming the development, Tarn Taran SSP Surendra Lamba said, “It was a joint team of Fazilka, Amritsar and Tarn Taran. Due to a communication gap, a personnel of Fazilka police entered into a verbal spat with the SGPC task force. The matter was eventually sorted out.”
“We did not make any arrests, only apprehended them as part of an ongoing probe,” he said when asked about the police action, while refusing to divulge details about the case.
According to information, the police neither intimated the SGPC nor sought its cooperation before detaining the two youths who were at the Golden Temple to pay obeisance.
Even as this incident triggered a row, SGPC office-bearers, including president Harjinder Singh Dhami, and senior officials, including secretary Partap Singh, remained tight-lipped on the matter. They did not respond to repeated phone calls.
Reacting to the incident on social media, Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjeet) president and former Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh said, “If the police need to search for or arrest any individual within Sri Darbar Sahib, established protocol (maryada) mandates that this information must first be shared with the SGPC. The police post located at the Galiara must be informed, and the action is to be carried out only with the cooperation of the SGPC task force.”
{{/usCountry}}Reacting to the incident on social media, Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjeet) president and former Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh said, “If the police need to search for or arrest any individual within Sri Darbar Sahib, established protocol (maryada) mandates that this information must first be shared with the SGPC. The police post located at the Galiara must be informed, and the action is to be carried out only with the cooperation of the SGPC task force.”
{{/usCountry}}“However, today’s act of the Punjab Police detaining youths from the Parikrama of Sri Darbar Sahib — without informing the SGPC or the local Galiara police post — is extremely unfortunate, alarming and an act that undermines the sanctity and institutional dignity of Sikh bodies. Such actions create fear and instability among the shrine’s management and the Sikh sangat,” he added.