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Takeover of gurdwaras by Haryana Sikh body: SGPC chief Dhami calls special meeting in Amritsar March 3
The executive body of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Friday decided to call a special meeting of all its members in Amritsar on March 3 to hold discussion on ‘forcible’ takeover of gurdwaras by the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) in the neighbouring state.
Chandigarh
The executive body of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Friday decided to call a special meeting of all its members in Amritsar on March 3 to hold discussion on ‘forcible’ takeover of gurdwaras by the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) in the neighbouring state.
The SGPC will announce further course of action after the March 3 meeting, the apex gurdwara body chief, Harjinder Singh Dhami, said.
The SGPC termed the taking over of gurdwaras a planned conspiracy by the Haryana government. This is an attack on the Sikh community at the behest of the BJP, the SGPC alleged.
Later, speaking to the media, Dhami said under the cover of the Supreme Court’s decision, the Haryana government has made a mischievous attempt to take over the Sikh shrines.
“The management of gurdwaras was handed over to the ad hoc HSGMC with use of force violating ‘maryada’ (code of conduct). The Haryana Police entered the Kurukshetra gurdwara wearing shoes, which has hurt the Sikh sentiments,” he added.
A five-member panel earlier formed by the SGPC in its report said that the armed men of the government nominated HSGMC (ad hoc) president Karamjit Singh and member Baljit Singh Daduwal entered the Gurdwara Sahib with force, broke locks of the ‘golak’ (donation box) and put their locks over it,” said the report.
The fact is that the Haryana government is working against the orders of the Supreme Court, said Dhami, adding that as per the apex court decision, the HSGMC should be made functional after election and the members elected should be Amritdhari (baptised Sikhs), but a large number of members of the HSGMC nominated by the government are not baptised.
Apart from this, the process of nominating the committee through notification is also unconstitutional, as it has paved the way for government control on the management of gurdwaras by issuing an ordinance through the governor on October 24, 2022, Dhami said.
