Missing ‘Saroops’: Former SGPC staffer who blew the lid off case arrested

A special investigation team of the Punjab Police, which is probing the case pertaining to 328 missing saroops of the Guru Granth Sahib, Saturday conducted raids at 15 places, and arrested Kanwaljit Singh, a former employee of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee who had blown the whistle on the scandal in 2020, it has been learnt.

Kanwaljit is the second person to be arrested the matter. The police on Thursday arrested chartered accountant Satinder Singh Kohli, nearly three weeks after the police registered a case in Amritsar on December 7 against 16 people in connection with the disappearance of ‘saroops’.

Kanwaljit Singh, a former assistant supervisor in the SGPC’s publication department, was the record-keeper for the saroops. Upon retiring in May 2020, he had flagged that 267 saroops were missing and had pledged in writing to compensate the SGPC. On June 29, 2020, he had filed a police complaint against SGPC for negligence.

Meanwhile, the SIT conducted raids at 15 places, including eight in Amritsar, two in Chandigarh, and others in Gurdaspur, Rupnagar, and Tarn Taran.

Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurbhej Singh Bhullar said the investigation is proceeding on facts and evidence. “Whatever evidence we will get will be placed on record. The raids were conducted at the residence of CA Kohli in Chandigarh and at places linked to the other accused,” he said.

The FIR had been registered under sections including 295 (injuring or defiling a place of worship or sacred object with intent to insult a religion), 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings), 409 (criminal breach of trust), 465 (forgery) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.

As police intensified its investigations, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami again hit out at the AAP government over the registration of the FIR and accused it of interfering in the administrative rights of the apex gurdwara body with the sole purpose of gaining “political mileage” out of it.

Speaking to the media, Dhami said, “Being the president of the SGPC, I will not allow any kind of government interference in matters that are under the apex gurdwara body’s jurisdiction”.

He said, under the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925, the SGPC has the authority to initiate departmental action against its employees for any lapse on their part.

Asked why the SGPC was not cooperating in the police investigation in the missing ‘saroops’ case, Dhami said, “We have nothing to do with 16 people (named in the FIR). It was an internal matter of the SGPC. It is a matter of jurisdiction of the SGPC”.

He also criticised the government for the police summoning SGPC employees and asking for call records. “Why are SGPC employees being summoned and records being called? They (AAP government) are making it as an excuse to finish the biggest organization of the qaum. Their sole purpose is to take political mileage,” he said.

Dhami noted Section 142 of the Act establishes a Sikh Gurdwara Judicial Commissioner to handle employee negligence cases. He said the government’s actions violate this mechanism and the Act’s provisions.

The SGPC chief said the state government filed affidavits in courts acknowledging SGPC’s powers, yet registered an FIR. He said, the Akal Takht appointed committee has clearly stated in its report that justice cannot be expected from the police in such matters. It has also been clearly written that no political party should politicise this issue, and if anyone does so, it would amount to a violation of the order (edict) of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, he said.

In SGPC’s 105-year history, no government has acted against its own affidavit, Dhami said.

After the issue of 328 missing saroops came to light in 2020, an inquiry was conducted by the Akal Takht-appointed panel into the matter and in which, several SGPC officials were found guilty of misconduct.

On December 29 last year, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said the FIR was filed after several Sikh bodies demanded a thorough probe to find the missing saroops. He had also accused the SGPC of failing to find the 328 missing saroops of the Sikh holy book, and accused it of “using the Akal Takht as a shield” to save those who are close to their “masters”.