Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami on Monday rejected allegations of stalling work at a medical college in Sangrur.
Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann had on Sunday accused the apex gurdwara body of acting like a puppet in the hands of the Badal family, which he alleged made concerted efforts with the Dhindsas to stall the work for ‘vested political interests’.
Dhami said the SGPC values the feelings of sangat (community) of the area and had decided in its executive meeting on November 22, 2022, to start a written dialogue with the Punjab government, but no positive response was received.
He said if Mann was serious about building a medical college, he should talk to the SGPC and understand the legal aspects so that this issue can be resolved amicably.
Dhami said under the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925, the SGPC manages the Sikh shrines and Gurdwara Sachkhand Angitha Sahib was notified under Section 7(3) of the Act on September 4, 1964. The SGPC is responsible for its management, he added.
He said after the notification, one Lal Singh had filed a petition before the Sikh Gurdwara Tribunal under Section 8, which was dismissed in 1973.
“Lal Singh and others then filed an appeal against the decision of Sikh Gurdwara Tribunal in the Punjab and Haryana high court in 1976, which was again dismissed in 1984. The next year, Gurdwara Akal Sagar and Angitha Sahib, Mastuana, were declared Sikh gurdwaras by the Punjab government and the rules of the Sikh Gurdwaras Act became applicable to them,” Dhami added.
{{/usCountry}}“Lal Singh and others then filed an appeal against the decision of Sikh Gurdwara Tribunal in the Punjab and Haryana high court in 1976, which was again dismissed in 1984. The next year, Gurdwara Akal Sagar and Angitha Sahib, Mastuana, were declared Sikh gurdwaras by the Punjab government and the rules of the Sikh Gurdwaras Act became applicable to them,” Dhami added.
{{/usCountry}}He said the Sikh Gurdwara Tribunal had also dismissed an appeal filed against this decision in 1986 by Brigadier Khushalpal Singh (retd), president of Sant Attar Gursagar Mastuana Trust. In 1986, Khushalpal appealed to the high court, which stayed the matter in 1987, he added.
Dhami said despite the stay by the high court, Baba Darshan Singh gifted 137 kanals and 18 marlas of land at Badrukhan village to the Punjab government without any right to open a medical college on May 23, 2022, on which the SGPC even appealed to the high court, which ordered to maintain the status quo.
He said that in order to become a party in this case, Baba Darshan Singh filed a petition. Similarly, a welfare society, Lok Bhalai Insaaf, also filed a petition to become a party, while raising a strong objection to gifting of the gurdwara property to the Punjab government.
Takes notice of Randhawa’s meeting with Rajasthan CM
SGPC president Dhami strongly condemned the intentions of forming Rajasthan Gurdwara Committee following a meeting between Congress leader Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot.
In a statement, Dhami said, “The Congress has always tried to weaken the Sikh power by interfering unnecessarily in Sikh affairs. Former Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led government had also played a political game to divide the Sikh power in Haryana.”
“Now Randhawa, along with Gehlot, is making plans to form a separate gurdwara committee in Rajasthan, which will never be accepted,” he added.
He asked the Congress to stop interfering in the religious affairs of Sikhs. He also appealed to the Sikh sangat to be aware of the “conspiracies” of the Congress.