Kurukshetra, July 3
The 10-member committee constituted by the Akal Takht Jathedar today had a closed-door meeting with the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (ad hoc) leaders.

After skipping the meeting at Gurdwara Chhathi Pathshahi at 11 am, the two groups met at 2.30 pm at the house of SAD leader Tejindar Pal Singh Dhillon in Kurukshetra. The meeting lasted for over three hours.

Sukhdev Singh Bhor, general secretary of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), said: “We have delivered the message from the Akal Takht to them. We will shortly submit our report to the Akal Takht, who will take the final call.”

About the delay in the meeting, HSGPC (ad hoc) chief Jagdish Singh Jhinda said: “We paid our respect to the Akal Takht. We were not informed in time so we could not attend the meeting earlier in the day.”

Talking to The Tribune, Jhinda said: “A 10-member committee had come to Haryana with a message from Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh. They asked us why we were seeking a separate committee to manage gurdwaras in Haryana.

We have explained our point of view to them.”

Jhinda said: “The committee offered autonomy to us, provided we do not demand for a separate committee. We will consider the proposal after the Kaithal congregation on July 6. The decision will be conveyed to the Akal Takht thereafter.”

Earlier in the day, the committee members, after coming to know that the HSGPC (ad hoc) leaders were not present, left after saying that they would submit the report regarding the absence of the second party.

The committee members and the HSGPC (ad hoc) leaders were critical of each other’s behaviour. SGPC general secretary Bhor said: “The Congress is dividing the Sikh community. It has already made two factions. One is supporting the formation of a separate committee to manage Sikh shrines in Haryana, while the other is opposing it.”

He said: “The SGPC is a religious organisation and they are trying to weaken it. The Akal Takht noticed it and called Sikh leaders who have been spearheading the move to constitute a separate Sikh body in Haryana, but they didn’t turn up on time.”

While the committee was waiting for the Sikh leaders, Haryana Sikh leaders Didar Singh Nalvi and Harmanjeet Singh were at the dera kar sewa along with their supporters.

Nalvi said: “It is a false propaganda created by the SGPC and Akalis to gain publicity. If they are saying that they had informed us about the meeting, they are lying and that, too, on the gurdwara premises. It would have been better if the message was sent to us alone and not made public. We got to know about the meeting through media. No official message was sent to us from the Akal Takht.”

About the SGPC, he said: “The SGPC’s budget formation lacks transparency. Its financial credibility is zero. There is no individual information regarding the salaries and money being spent on the SGPC president and its members.”