Chandigarh, Jan 13 (PTI) The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Punjab Police on Tuesday sought records from the SGPC in connection with their probe into the 328 missing ‘saroops’ (scripture) of the Guru Granth Sahib case.
The SIT on Tuesday formally requested the records from the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) offices in both Amritsar and Chandigarh.
“We met the SGPC officials and have given a written request that the record be provided. They said they will soon provide us with the record. Once we have the record, we can properly investigate,” SIT member Jagatpreet Singh told reporters in Amritsar after meeting the SGPC officials.
Earlier on Monday, Akal Takht acting Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj had directed the SGPC to cooperate with the Punjab government over the 328 missing sacred ‘saroops’ of the Guru Granth Sahib case.
The Jathedar on Monday said, “In view of the confusion being created among the ‘sangat’ (Sikh community) by some people in the present matter of the sacred ‘saroops’ and keeping in mind the larger Panthic interests, the president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Harjinder Singh Dhami, is hereby authorised to extend due cooperation to the government only with regard to the issue of the 328 sacred ‘saroops’.” In a statement issued here on Monday from the Akal Takht secretariat, the Jathedar had said that if the government required any information from the SGPC for investigation, the sought details might be examined at the SGPC’s Chandigarh sub-office in the presence of SGPC president Dhami.
A special investigation team of Punjab police is probing the 328 missing ‘saroops’ of the Guru Granth Sahib case.
The police had registered a case in Amritsar on December 7 last year against 16 people, including a former SGPC official in connection with the disappearance of ‘saroops’ in 2020.
The FIR had been registered under various sections including 295 (injuring or defiling a place of worship or sacred object with intent to insult a religion), 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings), 409 (criminal breach of trust), 465 (forgery) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.
The matter regarding the disappearance of ‘saroops’ from the SGPC’s publication house in Amritsar came to light in June 2020, leading to a major controversy at that time.
Meanwhile, Jathedar Gargajj on Monday had said that Sri Guru Granth Sahib is the living, eternal Guru of the Sikhs, and every Sikh and follower of Guru Nanak Dev across the world holds deep reverence and devotion towards the Guru Sahib.
He said that with regard to 328 ‘saroops’, an inquiry commission headed by Ishar Singh was constituted by the Akal Takht Sahib.
The commission’s report clearly states that these sacred ‘saroops’ were given to the ‘sangat’ through the collusion of concerned employees and officials, and the prescribed offerings were neither deposited into the trust funds nor were bills issued. This matter pertains to financial misappropriation by certain corrupt employees, he said.
Jathedar Gargajj said that the Ishar Singh Commission report, which has been approved by Akal Takht, clearly names 16 accused, who are also held guilty by the Akal Takht.
In light of the orders issued by the Akal Takht, the supreme temporal seat of the Sikhs, the SGPC has already taken departmental action against these 16 accused. PTI SUN VSD KSS KSS
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