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Hindustan Times
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Punjab: Act in 15 days over missing saroops, Dallewal tells state govt, SGPC
Jagjit Singh Dallewal-led Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM-non political) on Saturday extended support to the indefinite protest that the Sikh organisation — Sikh Sadbhawna Dal (SSD) — has been spearheading at Dharam Singh Market along the heritage street near Golden Temple for the last five years. The protesters have been demanding justice in the case of missing 328 saroops of Guru Granth Sahib in the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee's (SGPC) publishing house. They gave a 15-day ultimatum to the SGPC and the state government for action. Farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal addressing mediapersons in Amritsar on Saturday. (Sameer Sehgal/HT) Led by Golden Temple's former hazuri ragi (gurbani exponent) Baldev Singh Wadala, the SSD, along with other Sikh bodies, had launched the indefinite stir in November 2020. The agitators have been seeking stringent action against the SGPC functionaries indicted in an Akal Takht-appointed penal's probe report on the issue of 328 missing saroops, besides wanting to know the whereabouts of the saroops. Accompanied by other SKM (NP) leaders, including Baldev Singh Sirsa and Sukhdev Singh Bhojraj, Dallewal turned up at the protest site on Saturday and announced to support the cause. 'Apart from being farmers, we are also Sikhs. And Guru Granth Sahib is our guru who guides us. On behalf of the farmers' forum, I had committed during the Khanauri border morcha that we would support the morcha being undertaken by Wadala. The time has come to support this morcha,' he said. Dallewal, who is also the president of BKU (Ekta-Sidhupur), further said, 'We fear a conspiracy. The Akal Takht probe report recommended FIRs against those indicted, but no case has been registered so far. If no action is taken by the SGPC or the state government in 15 days, we will call a gathering here to take further steps.' The matter of missing saroops allegedly came to light on June 26, 2020, after the Punjab Human Rights Organisation (PHRO) wrote a letter in this regard to the Punjab government and the Akal Takht. The SGPC faced backlash and an inquiry was conducted by the Akal Takht under its supervision. According to the inquiry report, 328 saroops were found less in the record of the SGPC publication house. As the SGPC failed to give details, the saroops were considered missing. The misappropriation continued for several years, up to 2015, as per the inquiry report. Countering the charges, the SGPC maintained that it was not a sacrilege. It said that it was a case of misappropriation committed by the employees concerned.


Indian Express
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
As Punjab's AAP govt weighs death penalty for sacrilege, a look at previous Bills with harsh punishment
The AAP-led Punjab government is exploring options to legislate capital punishment for sacrilege. It is the third successive government to introduce legislation providing for harsh punishment for sacrilege, and the new Bill, expected to be tabled in a special Vidhan Sabha session on July 10 and 11, will be harsher than its predecessors. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has been proposing the death penalty for anyone guilty of sacrilege. The government is seeking a legal opinion on whether it can propose the death penalty for sacrilege. If the government gets the go-ahead, the Bill will propose capital punishment for sacrilege during the Assembly's two-day special session. The AAP government wants to table a 'historic' piece of legislation in the Assembly with the harshest punishment ever proposed by its predecessors. The Bill will be in line with provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), while the earlier Bills were proposed insertions in the Indian Penal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure. The Centre has returned the previous Bills as they sought amendments to the IPC and the CrPC, while the country's criminal law framework has shifted to the BNS, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA). During Amarinder's tenure as chief minister, the Vidhan Sabha unanimously passed the Indian Penal Code (Punjab Amendment) Bill 2018 and the Code of Criminal Procedure (Punjab Amendment) Bill 2018, which stipulated punishment up to life imprisonment for injury, damage or sacrilege to the Guru Granth Sahib, Bhagwat Gita, Quran and the Bible with the intention to hurt the religious feelings of the people. The Indian Penal Code (Punjab Amendment) Bill 2018 sought to amend the IPC by inserting section 295AA, under which a convict was to get a maximum of three years' imprisonment with or without a fine. It also enhanced the punishment under IPC section 295 (injuring or defiling a place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class) from two to 10 years of imprisonment. In March 2016, the SAD-BJP government brought in the Indian Penal Code (Punjab Amendment) Bill 2016 and the Code of Criminal Procedure (Punjab Amendment) Bill 2016, recommending a life sentence for the desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib only. The Centre, however, returned the Bill saying all religions should be treated equally given the secular nature of the Constitution. It added that it could not single out one religion and propose life imprisonment for the desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib. It asked the Punjab government to either withdraw the Bill or include all religions in the proposed amendment. The state government argued that the Guru Granth Sahib is not a holy book but a live Guru, unlike the scriptures of other religions. In October 2015, during SAD-BJP rule, an alleged instance of sacrilege of the Guru Granth Sahib in Bargari changed the political narrative in Punjab. It was felt that the quantum of punishment for sacrilege as per the provisions of sections 295 and 295 A of the Indian Penal Code was too inadequate. Also, the government move comes at a time when the health of a protester who has been demanding harsher punishment while sitting atop a BSNL tower in Samana since October 2024, is deteriorating. Concerns are mounting that if something happens to Gurjeet Singh Khalsa, the protester, it would trigger a political storm and create a law and order situation. There has been a debate that sacrilege laws could send wrong signals as such harsher punishment could embolden politicians and police to misuse them to harass critics. The Centre has asked the state to reconsider these Bills. Against the backdrop of this debate, it remains to be seen if the state government is able to propose the death penalty for sacrilege.


Hindustan Times
23-06-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Delhiwale: Khan Market pilgrimages
Bahrisons, Good Earth, K.K. Lee, Fab Foto, Khan Chacha, Faqir Chand… these long-time icons of Delhi's legendary Khan Market have evolved into necessary pilgrimage points for Khan Market anthropologists. Not many are aware that the same commercial space also harbours actual pilgrimage points from five religions. One is within the market, while others lie within a very short walk of a minute or two, at most. The prayer hall at the serene Sujan Singh Park Gurdwara is sanctified with the divine presence of Guru Granth Sahib. (HT) Posh people are flitting about the market this evening. At quarter past seven, the front lane's west side is startled by a sudden tinkling of what appears to be temple bells. The sound is indeed floating out from this corner of the market lane. This is Shri Gopal Mandir's aarti time, heralding the sunset with prayers dedicated to Ganesh ji, Jagdish ji, Shankar ji, Durga ji, Hanuman ji and Sai Baba ji. The temple has three priests—Vipul, Anil, and Sunit, who are siblings. Each evening, a different brother performs the aarti. Meanwhile, a few shoppers passing by the temple momentarily stop on hearing the aarti. Some keep their hand on the heart, others bow their head. The ceremony lasts 15 minutes. Mother Mary is identified with white robes. This evening, she is in saffron-coloured Kanjeevaram silk. The sari-clad icon stands in the courtyard of Shrine of Vailankanni, on Prithviraj Lane. Vailankanni is the title given by church-goers to Mary in Tamil Nadu, where 'Our Lady of Good Health' is believed to have appeared twice in a town of that name. Ensconced inside a glass case, the blue-eyed Mary is holding her infant Christ. Now, a citizen in red salwar-suit walks up to the icon, her praying palm reaching out to the glass case (see left photo). This evening, Shahi Masjid's prayer chamber on Pandara Road is submerged in darkness. The glass chandelier, though, is glowing faintly. Four or five men are lying on the matted floor, probably asleep. Outside in the marble courtyard, a flight of staircase goes up to the mosque's roof, ascending alongside a jacaranda tree in blossom. The roof is crowned with three domes. The prayer hall at the serene Sujan Singh Park Gurdwara is sanctified with the divine presence of Guru Granth Sahib. The holy scripture is currently covered with a blue velvety fabric. The adjacent wall is adorned with an illuminated portrait of Amritsar's Golden Temple. This evening, Manpreet Kaur is the only devotee present for the moment. Accompanied by a harmonium (see other photo), she is softly singing the following kirtan: 'Mere hearey ratan naam har basiya Guru haath dhariyon mere matha' This hall on Humayun Road is densely decked with sacred symbols, including the Star of David. Judah Hyam is the Indian capital's only synagogue.


Time of India
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Tehran gurdwara closed? Now, local Sikhs claim it's open
Amritsar: There is confusion over the closure of the lone gurdwara in Tehran, the national capital of war-hit Iran, with some local Sikhs claiming on Saturay that they had never closed down the shrine. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now They, however, clarified that they were not carrying out the daily parkash (ceremonial waking up) of the Guru Granth Sahib. Sources said the conflicting statements were the outcome of internal politics. Amardeep Singh Anand, a Sikh from Tehran, said the gurdwara had never been closed down during the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict and they were committed to safeguarding the saroops of Guru Granth Shaib. "Three of the saroops are newly installed, and the community wishes to retain them in Iran. We are capable of securing them, even under the worst conditions," he said. One saroop, he added, geld deep emotional and historical significance for the community, and they did not intend to send it to India. He confirmed that the remaining two saroops were being considered for relocation to India for their safety. Anand's clarification came soon after an unnamed statement by the Gurdwara Management Committee (GMC), Tehran, claimed that Tehran's Bhai Ganga Singh Sabha Gurdwara (BGSSG) had been open throughout the conflict, but without the parkash of Guru Granth Sahib. The unnamed statement from GMC also stated that the daily prayer, Panj Bani, was recited every morning and the Rehra Sahib every evening. "Only the parkash is not being conducted temporarily. This decision was taken out of deep respect, to prevent any possibility of beadbi (disrespect), especially during these trying times," the statement read. In recent past, BGSSG former vice-president Lajpal Singh Anand and former Tehran resident Singh Chandok claimed that the gurdwara had been closed due to safety reasons. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now An Iranian gardener, Abbas, and a caretaker, Harjit Singh, are in the gurdwara where four saroop of SGGS have been placed. Reacting to the statement, Anand said the management reopened the gurdwara on Saturday morning only, after the issue was raised through media. "They reopened under pressure from the global Sikh community," said Lajpal, adding that the committee had itself admitted to the parkash of Guru Granth Sahib being suspended. He refuted the claim that Panj Bania and Rehra Sahib were being recited every morning and evening. Puneet Singh Chandok, president of the Indian World Forum, also claimed that the gurdwara was closed and opened on Saturday only, after the issue was raised in media. Amardeep Singh refused to comment on claims by Singh Chandok and Lajpal Singh.


Deccan Herald
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Deccan Herald
Act immediately to retrieve Guru Granth Sahib 'saroops' from Iran: NAPA urges SGPC
Satnam Singh Chahal, the executive director of the association, urged the SGPC to immediately arrange a chartered aircraft and deploy a group of five dedicated Sikhs to accompany the 'saroops' (physical copy of Guru Granth Sahib) back home with full respect.