Sikh Gurdwaras Act: Sikh bodies divided over Punjab Government move

Neeraj Bagga

Amritsar, June 19

With the Punjab Cabinet approving amendments to the Sikh Gurdwaras Act to ensure free telecast rights of Gurbani from the Golden Temple, the move has split the opinion of Sikh bodies.

SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami on Monday asserted that they would take legal recourse to prevent the government from implementing the decision. He said the private company telecasting the Gurbani had deputed entire Amritdhari staff to maintain “maryada” inside the holiest shrine of the Sikhs.

He said the company, under the agreement for the past nearly 11 years, had been adhering to their terms of not airing advertisements during the live telecast of Gurbani. The SGPC was not liable to pay for coverage of religious occasions, he said.

Manjit Singh Bhoma, chairman, Delhi Dharam Prachar Committee, said the decision, which should have been taken a long time ago by the SGPC, was eventually taken by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.