SGPC chief, executive panel snubbed, punished in presence of sangat at Akal Takht Sahib

SGPC president Gobind Singh Longowal along with his colleagues doing parkarma of Sri Darbar Sahib sarovar on direction of Akal Takht Sahib

AMRITSAR SAHIB: In a significant development, Giani Harpreet Singh, SGPC-appointed acting jathedar, today snubbed the gurdwara body president Gobind Singh Longowal, other office-bearers and members of the executive committee openly in presence sangat at Akal Takht Sahib for being negligent in stopping sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib’s saroops in publishing house at Gurdwara Ramsar Sahib.

All these SGPC functionaries turned up in front of Takht Sahib to apologize for their negligence that led to misappropriation, fabrication, and manipulation of the record related to the holy saroops and as many as 328 saroops going missing. However, they were not pardoned and the acting Jathedar awarded them ‘tankhah’ instead.

Former SGPC office bearers and executive committee waiting for their turn for apperance in front of Akal Takht Sahib

Pulling them in presence of sangat, the jathedar said, “How shameful it is that the staff used to give the ‘saroops’ without following rules and regulations to sangat and pocket the money as per the inquiry report. Isn’t the SGPC aware of this misappropriation? Is it not a gross blunder of the SGPC? The SGPC office bearers never tried to go through the related record to check it.”

He asked them to go for parkarma of Sri Harmandar Sahib sarovar while reciting ‘Satnam-Waheguru’ in their mind and return here. On their return, they again had to stand in front of the Takht Sahib with folded hands. Under the “tankhah” (punishment as per Sikh tenets), the jathedar asked them to follow the directions given below:

  • Organize one akhand Path (48 hours long non-stop recitation of Guru Granth Sahib) at Gurdwara Ramsar Sahib where saroops are printed by the SGPC, for pashchatap (expressing regret and remorse) for damage done by fire incident to the holy saroops.
  • Organize another akhand path at Akal Takht Sahib. While doing so, all the office bearers and executive members will sweep the street leading to Sri Harmandar Sahib from Gurdwara Saragarhi Sahib to serai to the entrance of the shrine on Ghanta Ghar side.
  • Flip-flop in taking action against the culprits is quite wrong and tarnishes the image of the SGPC. So, SGPC must take any decision in this regard after due consultation with the Sikh scholars and thinkers.
  • The office bearers and the executive committee members will not address any public function barring SGPC budget session which is slated to be held on September 28.

It is pertinent to mention here that the SGPC senior vice president Rajinder Singh Mehta lost his post.

He was also part of the executive committee in 2016 when a fire incident took place in the publishing house. The surviving members of this committee and the then office bearers too appeared before the Takht Sahib for not organizing Pashchatap samagam that time. The jathedar asked them to not acquire any post in the gurdwara body for a year, while awarding them ‘tankhah’. As Mehta was also among them, he had to resign from his post.

The jathedar asked them to face sangat and utter that they have committed gross blunder.

On the other hand, ‘tankhah’ was also awarded to those who played a role in “pardoning” former Badal Dal minister Sucha Singh Langah who was excommunicated for an immoral act by Takht.

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