The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) filed a complaint on Sunday against some Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supporters and workers who it said shouted "political slogans" inside Gurdwara Bangla Sahib and created disturbance, even as it accused former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal of supporting a "distorted version" of the event.
The complaint came after a video surfaced on social media alleging police personnel had entered the premises, a claim backed by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) but denied by officials. Delhi Police had detained some people protesting against chief election commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar outside the premises.
But CJP co-convenor Saurav Das said the Delhi Police forcefully entered the gurdwara with shoes on, weapons in hand and detained protesters. He added that the cops also forced gurdwara management to remove protesters.
‘Chaos and disturbance’
The complaint said people associated with the AAP entered the premises "in a coordinated manner, started protesting inside the premises and created chaos and disturbance, thereby attempting to use the sanctity of Guru Ghar for political activity".
"The Gurdwara management and sewadars intervened only to maintain peace, preserve the sanctity of the premises and prevent the situation from escalating.
{{/usCountry}}"The Gurdwara management and sewadars intervened only to maintain peace, preserve the sanctity of the premises and prevent the situation from escalating.
{{/usCountry}}“The protesters also raised political slogans inside the sacred premises, disturbing the religious atmosphere and violating the sanctity and maryada [honour] of Guru Ghar. Such deliberate political activity inside a revered place of worship has deeply hurt the religious sentiments of the Sikh Sangat,” the complaint said.
Deep Dive
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It said what made matters worse was that AAP legislators and leaders "circulated videos and social-media posts presenting a distorted version of the incident" and blamed the gurdwara management.
"Shri Arvind Kejriwal also publicly supported and amplified this narrative, despite the conduct of his party workers and the circumstances leading to the disturbance being visible from the available material," the complaint said, requesting police to identify those who entered the gurdwara and take action.
DSGMC president Harmeet Singh Kalka told news agency ANI: "Some police personnel also went there; we condemn that, and today we have instructed the DCP to direct police personnel to avoid entering the 'Guru Ghar' in uniform. Even though it is a public thoroughfare and they did not actually step onto the Gurudwara premises itself, police personnel should exercise restraint given the current atmosphere."
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‘Legal action initiated’
The police too rejected allegations that they had entered the gurdwara.
“Regarding the video circulated on social media, alleging entry by police staff in Gurdwara Bangla Sahib...some police staff is shown walking in the common passage, used by all devotees to reach the point where shoes are taken off to enter the Gurdwara. The process is the same for all; the video showing the same is attached. The video has been circulated deliberately with malicious intent, to outrage the feelings of a respectable religious community and is prejudicial to the religious harmony. Legal action is being initiated,” Delhi Police said in a post on X.
The Press Information Bureau (PIB) too fact-checked one such video that claimed cops climbed into Bangla Sahib gurdwara and started a fight. They added that it was an old video and urged users to verify the date, source and context of a video before believing or sharing it.
'Police are not allowed inside'
During the stir, some protesters had gathered at the gurdwara, near the Election Commission of India (ECI) office, on their way to CJP's protest against CEC Kumar. Some of them were detained when they left the premises.
“Any person who goes outside in a group is being detained. I have been here since last night, and there were many others with me. Some of them tried to go outside and were detained,” said Yash Sain, who came from Agra for the protest.
A staff member of the gurdwara management, who asked not to be named, said: “Police are not allowed inside. Anyone who comes inside the gurdwara is a visitor to us. Police can come only when there is a serious criminal incident, but these are students who have come to protest, which is their right. The police cannot force them out; they are not criminals. They just want to avoid detention. They are peacefully sitting here, sleeping and eating."