AMRITSAR: The government's action of registering a case in a matter related to Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji was termed as a direct challenge to Sri Akal Takht Sahib and government interference in the administrative powers of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee.
Giving information about the resolution passed in the meeting, which was, held under the presidentshp of Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami here today he said that despite the completion of the action as per the orders of Sri Akal Takht Sahib in the matter of the holy images, the participation of government ministers, speakers and MLAs in the protest staged by some people on the heritage path of Sri Darbar Sahib, Amritsar in the past few days and the order to register a case with the police is clear that the government is deliberately playing its politics in this matter.
He said that the issue of the holy images of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is not about sacrilege or loss of the holy images but about the manipulation of money by some employees. The propaganda of this matter as sacrilege and loss of the holy images is a political conspiracy to defame the foremost institution of the Sikh community and hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community, in which the current government of Punjab is also fully involved.
He said that the inquiry committee formed by Sri Akal Takht Sahib under the leadership of Dr. Ishar Singh Advocate has made it clear in its report that some employees working in the Publication Department of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee made an unsuccessful attempt to cover up their misdeeds due to personal greed.
He said that in this regard, as per the report of the committee formed by the Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, action was taken through the resolution number 466 of the Interim Committee, dated 27-08-2020 and legal action was also decided against some employees. However, due to the suggestion of various Sikh scholars and the absence of any recommendation in the report of Dr. Ishar Singh regarding filing of papers, instead of legal action, the Interim Committee meeting approved the action on its own initiative through resolution number 493 dated 05-09-2020. This was because the police's interference in the investigation of the holy forms of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji would be against decency and traditions.
He also informed that both these resolutions have also been finalized through General Assembly Resolution No. 366, dated 28-02-2020.
The SGPC President said that now the government's decision to register an FIR in this matter is to hide its failures towards Punjab and fulfill its political desires, because those who came to power by playing politics on sacrileges have not been able to do any justice even after four years.
He said that through the resolution passed in today's meeting, while strongly condemning the government's policy of defaming the management of Sikh institutions, it has been warned that the Sikh community will never accept government interference in the management of its institutions.
Advocate Dhami said that it was also agreed in the meeting that since the entire matter was being taken up under the leadership of Sri Akal Takht Sahib as per the report of the Inquiry Commission of Dr. Ishar Singh, the entire matter will be sent to the Jathedar Sahib of Sri Akal Takht Sahib for consideration and orders.
In a reply to a question, Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami said that the Hindi book on 'Sikh History', published in 1999 by translating an English book, has been banned and withdrawn by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and advertisements have also been given in newspapers twice in this regard at different times. He said that raising this issue again and again is also for the sake of political interests.
The meeting includes SGPC President Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami, Senior Vice President S. Raghujit Singh Virk, Junior Vice President S. Baldev Singh Kalyan, General Secretary S. Sher Singh Mandwala, Chief Secretary S. Kulwant Singh Mannan, Interim Members S. Surjit Singh Garhi, S. Surjit Singh Tugalwal, S. Surjit Singh Kang, S. Gurpreet Singh Jhabbar, S. Daljit Singh Bhinder, S. Baldev Singh Qaimpur, S. Major Singh Dhillon, S. Mangwinder Singh Khaparkheri, Dr. Jang Bahadur Singh Rai, OSD S. Satbir Singh Dhami, Secretary S. Pratap Singh, Eng. Sukhminder Singh, Vice Secretary S. Harbhajan Singh Wakta, Legal Advisor Advocate Amanbir Singh Siali, Incharge S. Major Singh, S. Azaddeep Singh etc.