CM Bhagwant Mann warns SGPC and Akali Dal will face consequences for negligence and misuse of religious authority in saroop theft case.

The Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) and its Akali Dal masters came under fire from Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann  for utilizing Sri Akal Takht Sahib and Panth as a cover to avoid accountability for their wrongdoings.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, the chief minister stated that because no action has been done in the issue of the theft of 328 saroops of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Sangat and Punjabis in general have been suffering from severe trauma for the past few years. Sant Samaj and the panthic organizations have long called for action in this area and have even made contact with the state administration. The Punjab government has filed a formal complaint in this respect and established a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to look into the situation as part of its moral obligation,” he continued.

But the Chief Minister added that the SGPC instantly began informing the media on the orders of its masters, denying the accusations and hurling venom at the state administration for meddling in religious affairs. “The SGPC Chief acknowledged that there are 10–12 scams every day in the SGPC, which indicates that there is egregious exploitation of the Golak money that the devotees donate. In its 2020 meeting, the SGPC’s interim committee passed a resolution calling for harsh punishment for the committee’s negligent staff as well as publishers in the same case alone, he stated.

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“Surprisingly, no action was taken in this regard despite several irregularities, even though the SGPC had previously passed resolution for registering criminal cases against affluent persons like former Chief Secretary Dr. Roop Singh and others,” the CM said. Even the decision to end all services with the chartered accounting company S.S. Kohli & Associates was made, and it was approved to recoup 75% of the money paid because they were not responsible. However, the matter remains unresolved because S.S. Kohli was also serving as Akali leader Sukhbir Singh Badal’s CA.

He made the point that the SGPC, acting at the behest of its masters, claims that the state government is interfering in the panth’s business, but this is untrue because the SGPC has issued a resolution seeking criminal action against the accused, which can only be taken by the state government. However, the SGPC later withdrew all of its resolutions in order to protect the reputations of powerful individuals implicated in this transgression. Through the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Act, 2008 (Punjab Act), all the rights to publish Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji were granted to SGPC during the Akali regime. However, now that the state government wants to guarantee the recovery of these saroops so that no desecration or other such horrible crimes occur, these people are giving it a religious tint,” he continued.

According to the Chief Minister, the SGPC wants all the authority but does not want to answer to the public. They are currently attempting to use Sri Akal Takht Sahib to protect the reputations of those who are close to their masters. In the hands of the Akali leadership, who are exploiting it for their own personal gain, the SGPC and its president are only puppets. The SGPC and their bosses are aware that a fair and in-depth investigation will reveal their ugly face, which is why they fear the SIT,” he continued.

The Punjab government would make sure that those responsible for this horrible crime are held accountable in accordance with the law, Mann stated, even though the SGPC has not fulfilled its obligation to locate the missing saroops. “These politicians have not even asked the Union government to hold elections for this esteemed body for the past 14 years. The loss of the 328 saroops of Sri Guru Granth Sahib has left every Sikh with a damaged psyche,” he said.

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The Chief Minister drew attention to the fact that the BJP had published a cartoon of famous Sikh gurus on its official page, but the SGPC had done nothing to stop them because the state elections were approaching. He claimed that “the Akali leaders are least concerned with the interests of the state and its people and just want to grab the chair.” CM Mann cited instances, stating that Akalis consented to the draconian farmers law, SYL, Punjab University’s central university status, and all other anti-state decisions in order to benefit their family.

According to the Chief Minister, the Akali Dal was formerly called as the Lions’ Party when it was founded in 1920, but these leaders have since changed it to the Dinosaur Party. While the state government has done all possible to address the state’s concerns, the current Akali leadership is reluctant to bring them up with the Union government. The only explanation for this is that the Akali leadership is power-hungry and willfully adopts any anti-state position,” Mann said.