AMRITSAR SAHIB, Punjab—Setting another example of hooliganism in the style of mahants who controlled historic gurdwaras during British rule, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) task force personnel today badly assaulted the Sikh activists undertaking morcha in front of its headquarters on the premises of Sri Darbar Sahib to seek clarification of the missing Guru Granth Sahib’s saroops. These activists were later detained illegally for five hours. More than 12 Sikh activists were injured in this attack.
The SGPC made a U-turn and revoked its resolution to file criminal cases against its staffers guilty of committing misappropriation that led to more than 328 saroops going missing, and is adamant about not conducting a probe to ascertain the whereabouts of the missing saroops. Members of the Sikh bodies are undertaking the morcha against its moves.
First, the SGPC task force attacked supporters of the agitators and journalists on September 15 leaving a Nihang Singh injured. Today its goons crossed all the limits and adopted methods of the mahants and its members brutally thrashed the protesters.
After facing misbehave of the SGPC employees at Darbar Sahib, the Morcha activist Sukhjit Singh Khose locked the main gate of the head office and staged a separate dharna against the wrongdoings of the SGPC which is controlled by the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal). To disperse him, the SGPC employees dragged him inside and started thrashing mercilessly.
Thereafter, they dragged each of the agitators to the premises of head office and thrashed them badly for several hours. They did not even spare Sikh women leaving serious injuries on them.
Ironically, they were made captive inside the head office for around five hours illegally and the police in plain clothes witnessed it as mute spectators. When a group of supporters of the activists turned up at the entrance of the head office to get them released, they were also trapped by the SGPC and thrashed badly. At around 6.00 pm, they were released on the intervention of the cops.
On condition of being allowed to continue the morcha which was rooted out by the SGPC otherwise, the injured agitators got ready to be hospitalized in Civil Hospital. Once again, the SGPC task force which is dubbed as a force of goons, attacked the journalists who were covering and capturing the brutalization of the Sikh agitators with cameras.
An elderly reporter of Hindi newspaper, Indermohan Singh Anjan, was slapped and rebuked and his smartphone with which he was recording the scene of violence, was snatched and not given back. Another Gursikh cameraman of a TV channel was attacked. His turban was tossed and he was also made captive illegally for several hours. After the fellow journalists staged a dharna outside the head office, the SGPC released him.
Notably, an SGPC employee also sustained injury with the kirpan used by a Sikh agitator in retaliation. The SGPC task force was being led by the SGPC additional secretary Bijay Singh despite he was suspended by the SGPC for allegedly bungling of the SGPC funds.
Besides Khose, Balbir Singh Muchhal, Dilbag Singh, Manjit Singh Chabhal, Bibi Manjinder Kaura, Paramjit Singh Akali, Tarlochan Singh and Ramandeep Singh were among the injured persons.
