Row over Sarna, DSGMC nagar kirtans: PSGPC gives nod to Sarna-led nagar kirtan in Pak, ‘ignores’ DSGMC

Pakistan government has given permission to former president of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Manage Committee (DSGMC), Paramjit Singh Sarna, to hold nagar kirtan (Sikh religious

Pakistan government has given permission to former president of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Manage Committee (DSGMC), Paramjit Singh Sarna, to hold nagar kirtan (Sikh religious procession) from Wagah border to Nankana Sahib, birth place of Guru Nanak, in Pakistan, and the procession will be accorded warm welcome, said Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) chief Satwant Singh in a video posted on his Facebook page on Saturday.

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Sarna has planned the procession from Gurdwara Nanak Piao in New Delhi to Nankana Sahib in Pakistan on October 28. Similarly, DSGMC’s president and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Rajouri Garden, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, has also planned a separate nagar kirtan from Gurdwara Bangla Sahib in New Delhi to Nankana Sahib on October 13. This has been the point of contention for the two separate groups of the Sikh community in the national capital.

“Pakistan government had already given permission to Sarna for holding the procession. The procession will reach Nankana Sahib through Wagah border on October 31. A meeting of PSGPC and Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) was held with the government of Punjab on August 27. It was decided in the meeting that PSGPC, Sikh sangat and Pakistan government will welcome the procession. Pakistan government will also provide all kind of facility to the sangat of the procession,” said the PSGPC chief.

He also appealed in the video to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), jathedars of five Takhts (five temporal seats of Sikhs), and DSGMC to join the Sarna-led procession.

Satwant Singh, however, did not mention a word about the procession being organised by the DSGMC though it is scheduled on October 13—much earlier than the procession led by Sarna.

On Saturday, Sarna was in Amritsar. He showed a copy of permission from Pakistan government and said, “Only we have permission from Pakistan government to hold the procession while Sirsa has been fooling the Sikh sangat. I will complain to the jathedar of Akal Takht, Giani Harpreet Singh, for taking action against Sirsa, who has not received any nod from Pakistan government regarding his procession.”

Earlier, during the SGPC’s nagar kirtan, which was taken out from Nankana Sahib in Pakistan on August 31, a confusion had erupted on August 30 in the neighbouring country over the procession’s permission when ETPB feigned ignorance about Sikh institutions—SGPC and DSGPC—saying they had no official communication about the procession.

However, on August 31, the Pakistan government gave permission for the procession but not before heated arguments ensued between officials of the ETPB and heads of the SGPC and DSGMC.

Taking to HT, Sirsa said, “Sarna is playing into the hands of Pakistan just to defame Indian government. He has not followed the proper procedure and had not sought permission from Indian government. We are the one following the rules and regulations. We have applied through our government and we are expected to get the permission within next few days.”

“When Sarna was president of DSGMC, it had applied to Union home ministry for taking out a similar procession in 2005. We have followed the same rules. When we had taken out the procession from Nankana Sahib on August 31, the same procedure was followed,” he added.

He said, “Sarna has not taken permission from Indian government and he might face obstacle in taking out the procession to Pakistan. And it may give Sarna a chance to defame Indian government.”