NEW DELHI | Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Delhi State Vice President and Tilak Nagar MLA Sardar Jarnail Singh has written an open letter to all members of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), seeking answers to 10 questions over the violation of the sanctity of Gurdwara Sri Bangla Sahib by Delhi Police. He has questioned whether police personnel were justified in entering the Guru Ghar wearing shoes and carrying batons, and whether they had obtained prior permission from the DSGMC.
The AAP MLA has also questioned why committee members are attending BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) programmes despite the Hukamnama issued by Sri Akal Takht Sahib, asking whether their priority is to appease the BJP or protect Sikh principles.
Addressing a press conference, Tilak Nagar MLA and AAP Delhi State Vice President Sardar Jarnail Singh stated, “On 10 October, the Delhi Police carried out a shameful operation against students and ordinary members of the Sangat who had taken shelter at Gurdwara Sri Bangla Sahib. The police entered the gurdwara premises wearing shoes, with caps on their heads and batons in their hands, openly violating the sanctity and decorum of the gurdwara.”
He continued, “Even more shameful was the conduct of the president and some members of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), who, instead of filing a complaint against the police for violating the gurdwara’s sanctity, filed a complaint against the Aam Aadmi Party.”
Sardar Jarnail Singh stated that he had raised 10 questions through an open letter addressed to the DSGMC president and all its members. He asked, “Does the sanctity of Guru Ghar permit anyone to enter wearing shoes and caps and carrying batons? Does the committee consider this police action justified? Was there any discussion within the committee before a First Information Report (FIR) was filed with the police? Several members have called me and said that this decision was taken against their wishes. When the sanctity of a gurdwara is violated, sewadars explain the rules and decorum to members of the Sangat.”
He further asked pointedly, “Since when has the police been given the authority to take action in such matters? The president has described the route from the Ashoka Road side as a ‘public thoroughfare’. Since when has it become a public thoroughfare, when everyone knows that it is part of the gurdwara premises? Did the police obtain permission before entering? If permission was granted, the relevant documents must be made public.”
The AAP Delhi State Vice President questioned, “A Hukamnama was issued by Sri Akal Takht Sahib, the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs, stating that Sikhs would not participate in any programme organised by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which seeks to divide people on the basis of religion and caste. Why, then, are committee members attending programmes organised by the BJP and the RSS? Do members of the gurdwara committee consider their membership a means of securing a BJP ticket? Why are they supporting the ideology of an organisation like the RSS, which does not believe in the distinct identity of Sikhs?”
Sardar Jarnail Singh stated, “Committee members are supporting the BJP out of a desire to receive protection from the Delhi Police. Those who support the BJP receive security, while those who do not are denied it. Why are members abandoning Sikh principles for this temptation? Sikhs have always helped those in need, and the Nishan Sahib is a symbol of refuge.”
“But by describing the people who sought shelter in the gurdwara as workers of a particular political party and filing a complaint against them, have these members not damaged the image of Sikhs as people who help others? Will people now think twice before seeking shelter in a gurdwara, fearing that a police complaint might be filed against them? In my tenth question, I have asked whether these members’ priority is to serve the BJP or to protect Sikh principles,” he pointedly asked.
Sardar Jarnail Singh emphasised, “These are not merely questions arising from my personal opposition. They are questions being raised by the Sikh Sangat living across the world. We expect all elected and nominated members of the committee to respond to these questions as soon as possible.”
