SGPC Task Force Clashes With Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Committee

AMRITSAR SAHIB—A violent clash took place between the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee employees and the Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Committee members this past Tuesday (January 31) outside Gurdwara Ramsar Sahib, Sri Amritsar Sahib.  The rivalry between the two organizations seems to be ever growing along with the sacrilege of Gurbani that has been growing steadily over the past several years in Punjab.

According to reports received by independent observers in Punjab, the incident took place when a person named Punjab Singh saw SGPC employees transferring Gurbani pothis into a three wheeler vehicle outside Gurdwara Ramsar Sahib.  Punjab Singh approached the SGPC employee and requested that they at least wash the dirty vehicle before using it for transportation of Gurbani.  After addressing his concern, he then left to partake in Guru ka langar.

It was within a matter of minutes that over two dozen SGPC employees went to the langar hall and thrashed Punjab Singh while he was having langar there.  His dastar and clothes were ripped off and he was left seriously injured.   It is believed that Punjab Singh contacted the Satkar Committee members within that time and that irked the SGPC employees.  Due to past incidents, SGPC employees do not hold the Satkar Committee and its activism with much accord.

According to Singhs present at the incident, Bhai Balbir Singh Mucchal was already at Sri Harmandir Sahib along with a Jatha of Singhs who were paying obeisance there.  Bhai Balbir Singh was requested by Bhai Amrik Singh “Ajnala” to check up with Chattar Singh Jeevan Singh and Sons on another incident of Gurbani sacrilege.

As Balbir Singh Mucchal arrived at Gurdwara Ramsar Sahib, SGPC Secretary Dalmegh Singh along with the SGPC Task Force also reached there.  Initially both groups settled scores about past incidents, especially the recent incident at village Dalam in which the Satkar Committee activists caused much damage to the prestige of SGPC by exposing its sacrilege to Gurbani pothis at the paper mill.  The talk lasted only a few minutes and led to a brawl between members of both organizations.  It is reported that while there were a handful of Satkar Committee members, Task Force employees outnumbered them.  While the violence continued for several minutes, Amritsar Sahib Police intervened and arrested Bhai Balbir Singh Mucchal and another member of the Satkar committee.

An independent camera man from UK’s Sikh Channel was also violently attacked by the SGPC strongmen merely for recording the incident.  SGPC members removed his dastar and threw bricks at him.   To avoid further violence, he ran from the incident, but SGPC members snatched his video camera and ID card.  The camera man is currently hospitalised due to serious injuries to his head.

This is not the first time that the members of the Satkar Committee led by Bhai Balbir Singh Mucchal have been in a fray with the SGPC and this is certainly not the last.  As SGPC members defy Gurmat and the honour of Guru Granth Sahib Ji, it is evident from past incidents that activists belonging to the Satkar Committee and other Panthik oriented organizations will have to increasingly take up the cause of truth and justice.