SGPC member who honoured suspended IG Umranangal apologises to Akal Takht

Four days after the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) found itself in the middle of a row for honouring suspended IGP and an accused in 2015 Kotkapura

Four days after the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) found itself in the middle of a row for honouring suspended IGP and an accused in 2015 Kotkapura police firing case at anti-sacrilege Sikh protesters, Paramraj Umranangal, during his visit to the Golden Temple on April 19 (Sunday), its member, Bhagwant Singh Sialka, who felicitated the cop, tendered a written apology to the Akal Takht on Thursday.

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Additional Golden Temple manager Gura Singh and manager of langar (community kitchen) of the holiest Sikh shrine, who were also party to the felicitation, have been transferred.

The trio had given Umranagal a ‘siropa’ (robe of honour) and a painting of fourth Sikh master Guru Ram Das, after he donated grocery items to the community kitchen.

A senior SGPC official said Mand had been transferred to an SGPC-managed gurdwara at Kurukshetra in Haryana, while Guru had been sent to a Sikh mission in Uttar Pradesh.

“Sialka has submitted a plea requesting the Akal Takht Sahib to pardon him for honouring Umranangal. Singh Sahib Giani Harpreet Singh will address this plea and give his verdict after discussing the matter with the heads of other Sikh temporal seats,” said Jaspal Singh, personal assistant to Akal Takht jathedar, Giani Harpreet Singh.

Sialka, who has also been member of SGPC executive, was elected to the general House of the gurdwara management body on a Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) ticket from the quota of Damdami Taksal, a Sikh seminary that has a militant background. The Taksal, however, has remained mum on the issue.

SGPC members are upset at the entire controversy. “If the SGPC wants to back-track, and now blame the employees, then such employees should be demoted to a level where they will never have such power. For House member, Sialka, let Damdami Taksal answer,” said SGPC member Kiranjot Kaur. SGPC president Gobind Singh Longowal and jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh have not commented on the issue.

Strap/Blurb

Two other managers of Golden Temple transferred; trio had given a ‘siropa’ to the officer, who is an accused in 2015 Kotkapura police firing case