Amritsar, Jul 16 (PTI) The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has received five e-mails threatening to blow up the Golden Temple since July 14, president of the apex gurdwara body Harjinder Singh Dhami said on Wednesday.
Talking to reporters here, Dhami said the five e-mails threatening of bomb attacks are a matter of concern.
When the first e-mail was received on July 14, authorities had beefed up the police deployment around the Golden Temple.
Meanwhile, Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said a bomb-disposal team of the Border Security Force (BSF) has been deployed for a search operation outside the Golden Temple.
On the threat e-mails, Bhullar said police are investigating the matter.
The SGPC has informed the government and the police administration about these threats, Dhami said.
However, he expressed disappointment that the identity of the sender of the e-mails remains unknown.
He wondered whether the threats are simply the mischief of a malicious mind or part of a larger conspiracy.
Dhami said the Sachkhand Sri Harmandar Sahib (Golden Temple) is a spiritual and inclusive centre for all humanity, drawing lakhs of devotees from India and abroad every day.
He further said an attempt might be underway to create fear among the large number of devotees who come to pay obeisance at the sacred site.
He emphasised that it is the government’s responsibility to urgently trace the origin of these e-mails, including the server, the IP address and the originating country.
Dhami disclosed that the threat e-mails sent on July 15 and July 16 were not only addressed to the SGPC but also to Amritsar MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and yet, the government has failed to unearth who was behind those.
He said the SGPC has previously submitted several complaints to the Punjab Police regarding fake and parody social media accounts operating in its name but the Cyber Cell has not taken any substantial action, reflecting the state’s lack of seriousness toward Sikh institutions.
Dhami said the SGPC is fulfilling its responsibilities diligently and that the entire complex of the Sachkhand Sri Harmandar Sahib is being managed with utmost care by the management.
He appealed to the devotees not to be fearful while coming to pay respects and noted that people are still arriving in large numbers as always.
Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal said the threat e-mails are a very serious matter.
He urged the Punjab and central governments to consider the seriousness of the issue and conduct a thorough investigation to apprehend the culprits, so that no sense of insecurity arises in the minds of the “sangat”.
Meanwhile, speaking on an anti-sacrilege bill introduced in the Punjab Assembly, Dhami welcomed the move but stressed that the government must approach the matter with seriousness.
He said this is not the first time that such a law is being discussed.
Earlier, the previous SAD government had also held discussions on the issue and the matter should be taken forward in the spirit of respecting sentiments, he added.
Dhami pointed out that most incidents of sacrilege in Punjab are related to the Guru Granth Sahib and the proposed law’s language merely referring to “holy scriptures” is inadequate and hurts Sikh sentiments.
He said while the scriptures of all faiths are respectable, the Guru Granth Sahib is accorded the status of an eternal guru by the 10th Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh himself.
“For Sikhs, Sri Guru Granth Sahib is the living, eternal guru and thus, any law made in this regard must contain specific provisions concerning the Sikh sentiments,” the SGPC chief said.
He emphasised that besides the teachings of the Sikh gurus, the Guru Granth Sahib also includes the writings of saints, bards and Sikhs from diverse communities, giving a universal message to humanity. PTI JMS CHS RC
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.