Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee forms 34-member panel for Akal Takht jathedar service rules, excludes Sri Guru Singh Sabha and DSGMC
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Amritsar: The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has constituted a 34-member committee, comprising heads of various religious organisations, Sikh scholars, intellectuals and others, to draft service rules for the jathedar of Akal Takht.
However, the Sri Guru Singh Sabha, one of the oldest Sikh institutions, has objected to its exclusion, along with some other prominent Sikh bodies, from the committee's composition.
An SGPC statement issued here on Thursday announced that SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami had formed the committee.
However, Sri Guru Singh Sabha general secretary Harmanjit Singh questioned whether the exclusion of several important Sikh institutions by the SGPC was a deliberate attempt to distance these bodies from the SGPC and Akal Takht.
He said Sri Guru Singh Sabha, established in 1873 for the propagation of Sikhism and still actively contributing to the Panth, was one of the oldest Sikh organisations. "The exclusion of such prominent Sikh institutions committed to Sikh representation and dedicated to Akal Takht raises serious concerns about the intentions of the SGPC," he said.
He asked Dhami to reconsider and include representatives from such prominent organisations, which, he said, would help keep the Panth united under Akal Takht.
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Delhi gurdwara body slams exclusion
The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) on Thursday took exception to being excluded from the 34-member committee constituted by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to draft service rules for the jathedar of Akal Takht. In a statement issued by its president Harmeet Singh Kalka and general secretary Jagdip Singh Kahlon, DSGMC said SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami was indulging in favouritism towards the Badal family.
They accused him of excluding representatives from DSGMC and the Prabandhak Committee of the Takhat Sri Harimandir Ji Patna Saheb from the 34-member panel. They said DSGMC was the second-largest panthic body after SGPC, and excluding it exposed Dhami's partiality.
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