Sirsa, Sarna spar over origin of Rakab Ganj

Ajay Banerjee

New Delhi, February 5

The serene Rakab Ganj Gurdwara, located behind Parliament, is in the middle of a debate among members of the Sikh community. It is about the origins of the gurdwara and counter-claims being made on its construction.

Two former presidents of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), now in separate political camps of the BJP and the Akali Dal, have taken divergent views on the origins of the holy place.

Manjinder Singh Sirsa, National Secretary of the BJP, had said a couple of months ago that the historic Rakab Ganj Gurdwara was built by Sikh warrior Baba Baghel Singh after demolishing a mosque.

His rival Paramjit Singh Sarna, who is President of the Delhi unit of the Sukhbir Badal-led Shiromani Akali Dal, shot off a letter to Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs, seeking action against Sirsa, saying no mosque was demolished to make the gurdwara.

The Rakab Ganj gurdwara was built in 1783 after Baba Baghel Singh (1730-1802) had captured Delhi.

Last week, Sarna took to social media to castigate Sirsa, saying “he was distorting history” and again reminded Akal Takht of his letter seeking action.

Today the DSGMC, that is now led by Harmeet Singh Kalka, asked Akal Takht to take action against Sarna. The DSCMC issued a statement, accusing Sarna of “distorting history” and asked the Jathedar of Akal Takht Giani Raghubir Singh to immediately summon Sarna to and award him a “tankah” ( fine for a religious lapse).

The DSGMC said a conspiracy was being hatched by Sarna to mislead the community. “Sarna is repeatedly saying on social media that Baba Baghel Singh did not demolish any mosque in Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib” and went on to cite page number 32 of the book Shahidi Jeevan (author Gurbaksh Singh Shamsher Jhubalia) published in 2018 by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), which is the highest organisation of the Sikhs.

The book says “Baba Baghel Singh demolished the mosque and built a gurdwara,” the DGSMC said.

Kalka and the DSGMC Secretary General Jagdip Singh Kahlon said Sarna was misleading the community on Baba Baghel Singh. The Kalka-Kahlon duo also accused Sarna of being at loggerheads with Akal Takht and for misleading the Sikh community.