Row over interaction with RSS chief: SGPC removes GNDU VC from jathedar appointment panel
The video of the interaction shows VC telling Bhagwat about education initiatives taken by the university during an event 'Gyan Sabha – Education for Viksit Bharat', organised by Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas and Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham at BN Bahadur Institute of Management Sciences (BNBIMS) in Manasagangotri, Mysuru. The event focused on the role of education in building a developed India. Bhagwat was the chief guest at the July 28 event.
After the video went viral on social media, several Sikh organisations have raised objections and approached the SGPC with complaints and concerns.
'Prof Karamjit Singh has been removed from the panel as he has hurt the Sikh sentiments. After receiving objections from the Sikh community over it, the SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami has removed him from the panel,' Partap Singh, secretary of the gurdwara body, said.
Meanwhile, Akal Takht has also received complaints from Sikh bodies, including Sikh Youth Federation Bhindranwale and United Sikh Students Federation, against the VC, but there is no official word from the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs.
In the evening, the public relations department of the university issued a clarification on behalf of the VC, which said the invite for the event was issued on behalf of Amrita University, Kochi.
The GNDU spokesperson said that during this gathering, all the participating VCs shared information about the work being done at their respective universities with the president of the association.
'Guru Nanak Dev University VC also shared details with the association's president about efforts being made to digitise the Punjabi language to make it more accessible in the modern era, the environmental initiatives inspired by Guru Har Rai Ji, and the establishment of a Sikh Chair at the university', the official statement said.
'Various misleading statements are being made based on incomplete information about this programme, which are far from the truth. It is noteworthy that the invitations to the chief guest and other participants were issued by the administration of Amrita University, Kochi, and the Guru Nanak Dev University VC had no role in the invitation process'.
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