Amritsar: Tensions have resurfaced between the Akal Takht Sahib and the AAP-led Punjab government following the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe FIRs filed against 16 employees of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) in connection with the disappearance of 328 sacred relics of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
To address the matter, Akal Takht Sahib has called a special meeting of the Panj Singh Sahiban on December 28, which will be presided over by the acting Jathedar of Akal Takht, Giani Kuldeep Singh Gadgaj.
SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami strongly criticised the government’s move, calling it a direct challenge to the authority of Akal Takht Sahib, the highest religious body of Sikhs.
Dhami said that based on the report of the committee formed by Akal Takht, SGPC had already taken action against the responsible officials and sought forgiveness from the Khalsa Panth through a vote in the General House. He clarified that the issue concerns financial mismanagement and is not related to sacrilege.
He added that on December 7, Amritsar police had registered two FIRs against SGPC employees—one related to the 328 missing relics and the other concerning the publication of the restricted Hindi book Sikh Itihas.
Earlier, tensions had also arisen between the two sides over Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann questioning the legal authority of the Jathedar and viral video of singing and dancing during government-organised religious programmes.
Akal Takht had earlier directed the government to allow SGPC to manage religious events while the state focuses on improving facilities and roads around gurdwaras.
