Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami accepted the resignation of SGPC member Amarjit Singh Chawla and terminated the services of Akal Takht additional head granthi Malkit Singh on Tuesday. He also formed a four-member committee to investigate the rape case against Chawla. These actions come a day after both were excommunicated by the highest Sikh temporal seat.
The SGPC president has faced criticism for his silence regarding the issue. According to the first information report (FIR) registered against Chawla on the complainant of a Bahrain-based woman on August 21 at Sri Anandpur Sahib Police Station, immoral acts allegedly took place within the serais of Takht Kesgarh Sahib during her extended stay. Questions are being raised about who arranged for her travel from Bahrain and why she was given special treatment in the gurdwara serais.
In a video statement issued here, Dhami said to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter, a committee comprising SGPC members has been formed, which comprises SGPC executive member Baldev Singh Kaimpur, members Gurmeet Singh Booh, Gurbakhsh Singh Khalsa and Gurinder Kaur Bholuwala. SGPC secretary Balwinder Singh Kahlwan will serve as the coordinator of the committee.
Dhami said although a departmental inquiry into the matter was already being conducted by the SGPC, the newly constituted committee would examine all aspects related to the matter and submit its report to the SGPC within 15 days.
He said answers to all questions being raised by the Sikh sangat would be provided with facts after the committee submits its report.
Dhami said that in connection with the allegations levelled by the woman, Malkit Singh had been relieved of his services in accordance with the decision of the Akal Takht. He added that the resignation tendered through a video by Chawla from the post of SGPC member had also been accepted.
He clarified that he had no information about where the woman had come from or who had brought her there. He said that she had met him once or twice, but had never told him about any alleged immoral activity. He said it was impossible that he could have been informed about such a matter and not taken action.
Referring to the campaign being carried out on social media, Dhami said there should be a certain degree of restraint and propriety in such discourse. He said it was a matter of serious concern that people were forming opinions about individuals at their own discretion and delivering judgments on social media. He added that the same was happening in this case as well.
Dhami said he was accountable to the Sikh sangat and that after the inquiry report was received, all information would be shared with the sangat with complete transparency. He said that since this was a sensitive matter, no injustice should be done to any individual.
He said that the police investigation should be conducted in a fair and transparent manner.
However, the move of constituting a probe panel by the SGPC president did not go down well with the Sikh bodies. Alliance of Sikh Organisations leader Sukhdev Singh Phagwara said, “The SGPC is befooling the panth in the name of getting the matter investigated by the panel. It is ridiculous that the party against which the allegations have been levelled is conducting the probe and it will act as judge finally. No SGPC member from the opposition have been included in the probe panel. How would this panel investigate the matter impartially and fairly?”
“Since the president’s own role needs to be investigated in this case, Dhami should resign on moral grounds and submit himself to the inquiry. His employees and close associates simply cannot conduct an impartial investigation into his role,” he added.
Surjit Singh is a correspondent. He covers politics and agriculture, besides religious affairs and Indo-Pak border in Amritsar and Tarn Taran.