Have legal right to probe missing ‘saroops’ case: Mann

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Monday said the government has the “legal right to investigate” the matter pertaining to the 328 missing ‘saroops’ (sacred copies) of the Guru Granth Sahib, and asked the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee to cooperate in the probe. The SGPC, however, accused Mann of attempting to mislead the Sikh community and asserted that the matter should not be politicised.

“This is not interference in religious matters. The government has the legal right to investigate the missing ‘saroops’. It is very important to know who has those holy books. I fear that these may not be desecrated. When sacrilege takes place, then it is the police that is put in the dock,” Mann said.

Mann’s statement came a day after the five Singh Sahiban, led by Akal Takht’s officiating Jathedar Kuldip Singh Gargajj, asked the AAP government to stop meddling in the internal matters of Sikhs or face action in accordance with Panthic traditions.

The Amritsar Police on December 7 had registered an FIR against 16 persons, including a former SGPC chief secretary, over the disappearance of the saroops in 2020.

The SGPC, meanwhile, accused the chief minister of attempting to mislead people. SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami said that during the meeting of Singh Sahiban on Sunday, it was clearly directed that no one should indulge in politics on this issue. “Despite this clear direction, the chief minister is trying to mislead the community,” he said, adding that complete facts would be placed before the community in the presence of the media on Tuesday.

The Singh Sahiban, after the meeting on Sunday, had asserted that SGPC was the democratically elected Panthic organisation, and the Constitution of India stipulates that no government can directly or indirectly interfere in the internal affairs of any religion.

Addressing media in Chandigarh, Mann said for the last few years, the Sangat was in deep anguish as no action has been taken to find the missing saroops. “The Panthic organisations and Sant Samaj have since long demanded action in the matter and even approached the state government. As its moral responsibility, the Punjab government lodged an FIR and constituted a special investigation team,” Mann said.

But immediately after the FIR, Mann said, the SGPC, “on the directions of its masters”, started holding press meets accusing the state government of interfering in religious matters. He asked how the registration of an FIR could amount to interference in religious matters when their whereabouts are still not known.

“There is no malice behind the FIR. We have no courage or standing to challenge the Akal Takht. But those people, who are nominated to represent the Sikhs, can be questioned. Now, the sangat wants to know where those holy books are,” Mann said, reiterating that the SGPC should cooperate with the investigation.

“Let those officials and employees of SGPC, who were indicted by the interim committee of the gurdwara body in resolutions passed in 2020, appear in front of the police. Why those people, named in the FIR, have gone underground,” Mann asked.

The CM said that if those employees and officials appear before the police, then many other skeletons will tumble out of the closet. “The SGPC accountant, Satinder Singh Kohli, is also an accountant of (Shiromani Akali Dal president) Sukhbir Singh Badal. Has the record taken from him? Where is the record?,” he asked.

The Akali Dal government granted SGPC all rights to publish the Guru Granth Sahib through Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Act, 2008, Mann said, but now when the state government wants to ensure recovery of the missing saroops so that no desecration could take place, it is being termed as “interference in religious matters”.

Showing copies of resolutions of the SGPC, passed in July, August, and September in 2020, several officials and employees were indicted, a few were terminated and others salary and post retrial benefits were withheld. In a resolution in August 2020, it was decided that an interim committee would be constituted under the leadership of the then general secretary of the SGPC to initiate legal action against these people. The resolution also approved initiating criminal proceedings against SGPC office-bearers. It was also approved to obtain records from Satinder Kohli, within 15 days and terminate his services, he said.

“Dhami Sahib could not get it investigated even after five years,” he said.

Mann added that on September 5, 2020 another resolution diluted the earlier resolution saying that these are cancelled and SGPC should take action on its own.

“Akal Takht is being used as a shield. I will not allow that. Even Giani Gargajj has not yet been recognised by several Sikh institutions,” he added.

He said the Punjab government will ensure that those behind the disappearance of the sacred copies of the holy book are punished under the law.

Asked if those named in the FIR will be summoned, Mann answered in the affirmative. “Will summon them. Let’s see who won’t appear,” he said.

The SGPC had earlier called the FIR registration a direct challenge to the Akal Takht and an unwarranted interference in its administrative rights.

The disappearance of 328 saroops from the SGPC’s publication house in Amritsar came to light in June 2020, leading to a major controversy at that time.

The chief minister also took a swipe at the Akali Dal, claiming that its leaders only want to grab the power and are least bothered about the interests of the state and its people. He said that in 1920 when Akali Dal was formed, it was known as the party of lions but the current leaders have turned it into a party of “dinosaurs”.