An incident in the Gurdwara Singh Sabha located in village Kaulpur of Vijaypur tehsil of Samba district of Jammu recently shook the hearts of the Sikh community, when a person poured kerosene oil on the five holy forms of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji and set them on fire. This incident created a huge fury among the Sikh community, following which the Sangat set fire to the house of the accused and demolished it with a JCB machine. The police have arrested the accused Manjit Singh, who had fled after committing the incident.
Taking strict notice of this incident, the acting Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj himself reached the spot and started an investigation. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) also sent a special investigation team to the spot, which included committee member Gurmeet Singh Booh, Dharam Prachar Committee member Bhai Ajaib Singh Abhishek and secretary Pratap Singh. According to the Akal Takht Secretariat, four sacred saroops were completely burnt, while one saroop was severely damaged.
Jathedar Gargaj, announcing strict action on the spot, banned the current managing committee of Gurdwara Singh Sabha Kaulpur, its office bearers and their family members from becoming the administrators of the Guru Ghar for life. He issued clear instructions to all Gurdwara managing committees in the country and abroad to give up the lust for office bearers and become true servants and ensure 24-hour security of the Gurdwaras. The Jathedar warned that any laxity in security will not be tolerated and strict action will be taken for such negligence.
Administrative officials including Deputy Commissioner of Samba district Ayushi Sudan, DIG of Jammu-Samba-Kathua range Shiv Kumar Sharma were present during the huge gathering of the Sangat at the scene of the incident. Jathedar Gargajj said in clear words that the Sikh community can never tolerate the desecration of Sri Guru Granth Sahib. He termed the crime committed by accused Manjit Singh as regrettable and unforgivable and warned the administration that if the Sangat takes action against any Sikh in the case of demolition of the accused’s house, the Khalsa Panth will strongly oppose it and if necessary, a morcha will be organized.
The Jathedar also revealed that accused Manjit Singh was involved in anti-Sikh activities earlier too and the local administration was informed about it. He questioned the administration and said that if action had been taken in time, this unfortunate incident would not have happened. He demanded that the two accomplices of the accused, who were involved in the incident, be arrested immediately.
SGPC President Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami strongly condemned this sacrilege and said that when the Sikh community is celebrating the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib Ji, such incidents seem to be part of a deep conspiracy. He demanded that the government get to the root of this conspiracy and give exemplary punishment to the culprits. He also appealed to the Government of India to amend the law and provide strict punishment for incidents of sacrilege.
SGPC Secretary Partap Singh said that the holy images that were burnt have been sent to Sri Goindwal Sahib as per the rituals. Earlier, SGPC Jammu Mission in-charge Bhai Harbinder Singh took care of the holy images with the support of the Sangat.
Sikh missionary colleges also condemned this incident in strong words. In a meeting held in Nangal, the college administrators and staff said that such incidents are a violation of Sikh sentiments and political and communal forces may be behind it. They demanded the administration to make proper arrangements to prevent such incidents and arrest all the culprits at the earliest.
Jathedar Gargajj announced that a meeting of Panj Singh Sahiban would be called soon, in which strict instructions would be issued to the Gurdwara Management Committees. He suggested that the Management Committees be made up of 31 members and one member should be given the responsibility of guarding the Guru Ghar 24 hours a day. Along with this, he appealed to the Sikh Sangat to remain alert and work in unity for the security of the Guru Ghar.
This incident is a big setback for the Sikh community, and its deep impact is being seen in the Sangat. Panthic organizations and the Sangat have appealed to the government and the administration to take concrete steps to prevent such incidents, demanding strict action.
