SGPC slams Haryana government for ‘interference’ in gurdwara mgmt

The SGPC convened an urgent meeting of its executive, presided over by president Harjinder Singh Dhami, who said the Haryana government wants to occupy the gurdwaras in the state under a deliberate conspiracy

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) took a strong cognisance of “forcible possession” of Gurdwara Sahib Patshahi Chhevin in Kurukshetra by the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) (ad hoc) on Monday and slammed the Manohar Lal Khattar government for “interfering” in the gurdwara management.

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami addresses a press conference in Amritsar on Monday. (Sameer Sehgal /Hindustan Times)

The SGPC convened an urgent meeting of its executive, presided over by president Harjinder Singh Dhami, who said the Haryana government wants to occupy the gurdwaras in the state under a deliberate conspiracy.

He said when the Sikh Sangat reached the gurdwara on Monday to express their protest, force was used against them and they were arrested. “During this proceeding, the police personnel entered the premises with shoes and committed a gross violation of Sikh Maryada,” Dhami said. He said this action was highly condemnable, for which the Haryana government was directly responsible.

“A five-member committee has been formed to review the incident and talk to Sikhs in Haryana, after which an appeal would be made to the Akal Takht on this basis of the panel’s report,” he added. The committee comprises SGPC senior vice-president Baldev Singh Qaimpuri, junior vice-president Avtar Singh Ria, general secretary Gurcharan Singh Grewal and executive members Jarnail Singh Kartarpur and Bawa Singh Gumanpura. He also said that opinion of legal experts will be taken on the illegal nomination of HSGMC ad hoc by Haryana government and the intervention of home affairs department will also be sought regarding the direct interference in the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925.

Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh on Monday strongly opposed the entry of the Haryana cops with shoes in the Kurukshetra gurdwara. In a statement, he said, “What happened on the gurdwara premises is very unfortunate. If Haryana government is supposed to take possession of the gurdwaras with use of the police, it must get the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925, that empowers the SGPC to manage affairs of these gurdwaras, notified by the Parliament.”