SGPC team to defuse tensions with Patna Sahib management body
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Saturday constituted a four-member committee to visit Bihar-based Patna Sahib to defuse tensions stemming from a proclamation by the shrine’s “panj payaras”, who declared jathedars of the Akal Takht and Damdama Sahib “tankhaiya”.
The panel comprises SGPC senior vice-president Raghujit Singh Virk, Gurcharan Singh Grewal, Gurbachan Singh Karmuwala and Jaswinder Singh Jassi, who has been appointed as the coordinator.
They will soon visit the Patna Sahib and hold discussions with the gurdwara management committee and the “panj payaras”. The decision came two days after the Akal Takht secretariat ordered the immediate withdrawal of the proclamation.
The secretariat also warned the Patna Sahib gurdwara management committee of action on failing to adhere to the order, citing the supremacy of the Akal Takht — the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs — when it comes to religious matters.
The “panj pyaras” (five beloved ones) had on Wednesday held Akal Takht officiating Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj and Takht Damdama Sahib Jathedar Baba Tek Singh guilty of “denting the dignity, code of conduct and sovereignty of Takht Patna Sahib”.
The move came hours after five Sikh priests, including Giani Gargaj and Baba Tek Singh, summoned the entire management panel of the Patna Sahib shrine over the “non-compliance” of the Akal Takht orders.
The Akal Takht had earlier barred two Patna Sahib priests Bhai Baldev Singh and Bhai Gurdial Singh from reciting Gurbani over alleged “improper recital”.
Bhai Baldev Singh and Bhai Gurdial Singh were part of the “panj pyaras” that had issued the proclamation against the jathedars of the Punjab-based temporal seats.
At the meeting, a clean chit was also given to Takht Patna Sahib former Jathedar Giani Ranjit Singh Gauhar, whose services were terminated by the management panel of the Patna-based shrine in August 2022 after holding him guilty of “involvement in embezzlement of donations in the form of gold and other items”.
SGPC concerned over ‘conversions’ in Pilibhit
Expressing concern over reports of the “conversion” of Sikhs in the Pilibhit area, SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami has directed the incharge of the Uttar Pradesh Sikh Mission to take along Sikh preachers to probe the matter. The delegation would then send a report on the issue to the SGPC.
In a press note issued on Saturday, Dhami asked the government to “punish” those carrying out conversions by “employing fraudulent means”, including false assurances of healing with occult powers, monetary aid, besides other temptations.
Govt flayed over ‘distorted’ image of Golden Temple
The SGPC also slammed the state government for using a “distorted image” of the Golden Temple in an advertisement seeking suggestions to celebrate historical events linked to Sikh personalities and religious figures.
According to a statement issued by the SGPC, the advertisement appeared in several newspapers recently, with the artificial intelligence-generated image showing alterations in the shrine’s domes and adjacent buildings.
Dhami said “tinkering with the image of the holiest Sikh shrine” had hurt religious sentiments of the community. He said the government should consult the Sikh body before publishing any material or photograph pertaining to the religion.
Punjab