SGPC and religious leaders reject Indian Army officer’s claim on Golden Temple deployment

Amritsar: The statement by Director General of Indian Air Defense, Lieutenant General Sumer Ivan D’Cunha, claiming that air defense guns were deployed at the Golden Temple with permission, has been firmly rejected by key Sikh religious figures.

Head Granthi Giani Raghbir Singh dismissed the claim, saying he was abroad during the fighting and returned only after it ended. He said there had been no communication with him regarding any such deployment. “The Army is making such claims. This should be investigated,” he said.

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) President Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami and Additional Head Granthi Amarjeet Singh also called the Lieutenant General’s statement shocking and false. They said no permission was given, nor did any army official make contact. Dhami demanded an explanation from the central government over what he termed a baseless statement.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has denied the Indian Army’s allegation that it attacked the Golden Temple in Amritsar. A written statement issued by the Government of Pakistan said the claims were untrue.

SGPC Secretary Kulwant Singh Mannan also rejected the notion that the shrine was targeted, saying, “No one, whether from the Pakistani or Indian Army, can even think of targeting the Golden Temple.”