Sikh delegation meets CM over dates for HSGMC poll
Demanding announcement of dates for the elections to the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) in the state, a delegation of Haryana Sikh Ekta Dal met the Chief Minister, Nayab Singh Saini, at his residence in Chandigarh. The members of the delegation claimed that CM Saini assured them that the HSGMC elections will take place within the next two months. He also assured them that an official announcement would soon be made by the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Election Commission in this regard.
Giving details, Pritpal Singh Pannu, one of the members of the delegation, said that the CM informed them that DCs across Haryana had been appointed as nodal officers to facilitate the voter registration process for the Sikh community. The CM also appealed to the community to expedite the voter registration process and took a positive stance on other demands put forth by the delegation, promising swift action towards their resolution.
Pannu said that the Haryana Sikh Ekta Dal delegation was led by prominent members including Jagdeep Singh Aulakh, Gurtej Singh Khalsa, Amarjeet Singh Mohri (Ambala), Jathedar Avtar Singh Chakku, Saranjeet Singh Sauntha (Kaithal), Sukhvinder Singh Jhabbar, Amrit Singh Bugga, Lakhwinder Singh (Sirsa), advocate Gurtej Singh Sekhon (Kurukshetra), Kulwinder Singh Gill (Hisar), Mandeep Singh (Fatehabad), Sukhdeep Singh (Kurukshetra), Sarabjit Singh Batra (Yamunanagar), Sukhvinder Singh Chammo, and Tejinder Singh (Panipat).
“We have also requested the CM to convey the sentiments of Haryana Sikhs to the Union government regarding release of Sikh prisoners, who have completed their sentences,” said Pannu.
Delegation member Lakhwinder Singh Aulakh said that among the key issues discussed was the case of 14 Sikhs from Sant Nagar village, Sirsa, who had been charged with sedition and other offenses during a 2020 protest against an incident of disrespect toward the Guru Granth Sahib. According to Aulakh, the CM directed officials to initiate the withdrawal of these charges, a move they see as a positive step toward addressing the community’s grievances.
The delegation also demanded the CM to grant Punjabi full status as a secondary official language in Haryana, requesting to recruit Punjabi teachers in schools and translators in government departments to preserve and promote Punjabi language and culture within the state.
Additionally, the delegation requested representation for Sikhs in state government bodies, including the Rajya Sabha and the National Minority Commission. They proposed establishing a minority commission within Haryana and suggested setting up police teams in each district to monitor social media for offensive or inflammatory content against the Sikh community.
Besides, they raised the issue of implementing earlier commitments made by the BJP government, including establishing a university in the name of Guru Gobind Singh, a chair in Kurukshetra University in honour of Guru Tegh Bahadur and allocation of three acres for Sikhs in Kurukshetra.
