Punjab E News: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday firmly rejected the demand raised by a delegation of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) before the Delhi Police Commissioner seeking registration of an FIR against former Delhi CM Atishi, calling it a politically motivated move that trivialises genuinely grave issues related to the dignity of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
The AAP said it was deeply disturbing that institutions which maintained silence during the most painful episodes of Beadbi (sacrilege) in Punjab are now rushing to Delhi over a disputed and fabricated video.
Responding to the controversy, senior AAP leader and AAP Punjab State Media In-charge Baltej Pannu said that when 328 saroops of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji went missing, the same SGPC chose not to cooperate with the Punjab police or give statements. “They publicly maintained that they would not assist investigations. It was only after the Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib explicitly asked them to cooperate that they reluctantly agreed. Even then, meaningful statements were not forthcoming. Where was this urgency when the dignity of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji was actually under attack,” the spokesperson said.
Referring to the 2015 beadbi incidents, the AAP Punjab Media In-charge pointed out that when Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji was desecrated and cases were examined in district and sessions courts, the SGPC leadership did not step forward to assist investigations. “People sat on peaceful protests in Kot Kapura. Police used water cannons, fired bullets, and lobbed tear gas shells. Two innocent protesters lost their lives in Behbal Kalan due to police firing. Even then, these leaders did not go to the police to give statements. Their silence during those dark days is part of public record,” he stated.
He further recalled that even in 2020, when serious questions were raised again over missing saroops of Guru Granth Sahib, there was no proactive cooperation with the police. “Time and again, when the sanctity of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji was genuinely violated, they avoided accountability. Now, suddenly, they are willing to travel to Delhi and demand an FIR over a single video which is itself being described as misleading and incorrectly made,” said Baltej Pannu.
The AAP Punjab Media In-charge said the contrast was impossible to ignore. “When FIRs were registered by the present government in cases of beadbi, the SGPC openly said it would not cooperate with the police. Only after directions from the Sri Akal Takht Sahib did they agree, in principle, to cooperate. But on matters of real beadbi, missing saroops and police firing on devotees, they never showed this urgency. Today’s actions expose selective outrage and political intent,” he said.
Reiterating the AAP’s unwavering respect for Guru Sahiban and Sikh sentiments, Baltej Pannu said, “Respect for Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is demonstrated through truth, accountability and justice for past crimes, not through theatrics and selective FIR politics. Attempts to malign Atishi through fabricated video will not distract from the unanswered questions surrounding beadbi and the long denial of justice to the Sikh community,” he asserted.
