The issue of the disappearance of 328 sacred forms of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, the highest and most sacred scripture of Sikhism, has become a matter of serious concern among the Sikh community. Regarding this matter, Sikh Sadbhavana Dal chief Baldev Singh Wadala and farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal have given 15 days to the Punjab government and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee to register a case against the responsible persons in this matter, otherwise a large-scale gathering of the Sangat will be announced and the next struggle will be announced.
It is worth mentioning here that in the last few years, the news of the disappearance of 328 sacred forms of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji had created a stir in the Sikh community. This issue first came to the fore in 2015 when the case of desecration of the form of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji came to light in village Bargari in Faridkot district of Punjab. The incident had created a huge outcry among the Sikh community and Panthic organizations had taken up the issue seriously. Later, Baldev Singh Wadala, under the leadership of the Sikh Sadbhavana Dal, claimed that 328 Saroops of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji were missing under the supervision of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. The matter had created a wave of anger and frustration among the Sikh community, as it is an issue related to the holiest scripture of Sikhism.
Recently, Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who is a prominent leader of the Sanyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political), and Baldev Singh Wadala, the head of the Sikh Sadbhavana Dal, had jointly raised the issue at Heritage Street in Amritsar. They accused the government and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee of not showing seriousness in the matter and failing to punish the responsible persons. Jagjit Singh Dallewal said that when the farmers were struggling, the Sikh Sadbhavana Dal had supported us. Now it is our turn to stand with the Sikh community on this important issue. We give the government 15 days to register cases against those responsible. If this does not happen, we will call a big rally and announce the next struggle.”
Baldev Singh Wadala, who has been sitting on a dharna at Heritage Street in Amritsar for the last 57 months, took a strong dig at the government and said that the Punjab government is trying to save the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. We have been struggling here for 57 months, but neither the government has taken any action nor has the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee taken responsibility on this issue. But we will not let the spirit of the community be tampered with.”
Wadala and Dallewal believe that the government and the SGPC have deliberately ignored this issue, due to which the protest is increasing among the Sangat. Sikh Sadbhavana Dal chief Baldev Singh Wadala has directly accused the SGPC that the SGPC has not done proper record-keeping of the Saroops nor has it taken any concrete action in this matter. Wadala also said that these Saroops have gone missing due to the failure of the SGPC, and this issue is being suppressed with the connivance of the government. The SGPC has not yet given any clear response on this issue. There is a perception among the Sikh Sangat that the SGPC is not showing transparency in this matter.
Akal Takht Sahib had constituted a committee to investigate this issue. According to the Akal Takht report, the responsibility for the disappearance of 328 copies of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji lies primarily with the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, as these copies were under its supervision. The report also revealed that there were serious flaws in the process of distribution and preservation of the copies. The Akal Takht investigation revealed that many copies were handed over to various gurdwaras, institutions, and individuals, but proper records were not maintained. In some cases, incidents of desecration of copies also came to light, which further hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community. The report held the officials of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and the concerned persons responsible, but did not recommend any official or legal action.
There is great disappointment in the Sikh community regarding the Akal Takht report and the performance of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. Many Sikh organizations and the community have considered the Akal Takht Sahib report incomplete and complicated. They say that the report did not clarify the names of the responsible persons nor did it recommend any strict action. The Sikh Sangat believes that the SGPC has remained silent on this issue and is trying to avoid responsibility with the connivance of the government. The Sikh Sadbhavna Dal and other organizations have questioned the Akal Takht report and said that the Sangat will not be satisfied until the responsible persons are punished and the Saroops are recovered. There is also a feeling among the Sangat that the Akal Takht should take strict action against the SGPC and a transparent system should be created for the preservation of the Saroops. So far, none of the 328 missing Saroops of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji has been recovered.
