Amritsar: The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has asked the Punjab government to hand over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) the probe into allegations made by a woman who arrived from Bahrain.
SGPC president Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami said after a meeting of the executive committee that if the government did not accept the demand within three days, an SGPC delegation would meet the Governor.
Dhami said a CBI inquiry was necessary to ensure impartiality, as questions were being raised over the five-member inquiry committee constituted by the SGPC. He questioned whether a committee formed by the government would be considered impartial if doubts were being raised about the SGPC panel.
He clarified that the SGPC’s own five-member committee would continue its inquiry and that its report would be made public.
RajoaÂna mercy plea discussed
The meeting also discussed the mercy petition of Balwant Singh Rajoana. Dhami said Rajoana was prepared to face the death penalty and had expressed a desire to withdraw his mercy petition. The SGPC has therefore appealed to the Akal Takht Jathedar to take an appropriate decision on the matter.
Rejecting demands by some Sikh organisations regarding the SGPC Act, Dhami said it was a Central law and that government intervention was not required in Punjab as had happened in Haryana. He described the protests being held outside his residence as politically motivated.
Dhami also termed the Meeri Peeri Khalsa March successful, saying that a large number of families affected by drug abuse were met during the march and several young people had taken Amrit and pledged to connect themselves with the Guru.
During the meeting, opposition member Mithu Singh Kaneke was not allowed to participate on the directions of the Jathedar.
