HSGPC Issue: Akal Takht Steps In

HSGPC Issue: Akal Takht Steps In

The Akal Takht has taken charge of the warring factions locked in a dispute over the Haryana Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (HSGPC). The Takht is the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs. It has directed that all Sikh conventions called by groups over the issue of the creation of the HSGPC will now be called off. Akal Takht Jathedar chief Gurbachan Singh has indicated that all Sikh conventions to be held in the past few days over the issue of the HSGPC will not take place now.

The conventions were called by Amritsar's Shiromani Akali Dal and the Sikh leaders of Karnal, Haryana. The bitter standoff between the warring sides over the creation of the HSGPC is showing no signs of abating. "All Sikhs are concerned today. Whatever happened in Saharanpur today has increased our concern. The Sikh quam (community) is facing a new challenge today. In this situation, I order all groups to call off their conventions in Amritsar (Punjab) and Karnal (Haryana)," Gurbachan Singh announced in Amritsar in an effort to stop the community from getting into further disputes over the issue.

Singh announced that the Akal Takht will now call a meeting of the Sikh high priests and Sikh leaders to resolve the HSGPC issue. Punjab's Shiromani Akali Dal which called for a World Sikh convention in the Golden Temple at Amritsar has called off the convention on July 27 on account of the directive by the Akal Takht. "We have called off the Sikh convention to be held tomorrow (Sunday). We have taken this step in the interest of the Sikh community following the Akal Takht's directive. We are informing the Sikh leaders about this," Punjab education minister and Akali Dal spokesman Deljeej Singh Cheema was quoted by media as saying.

The second convention was by the Sikh leaders of Haryana Monday (July 28) in Karnal. These leaders are in favour of the creation of the HSGPC. Both the Akali Dal and the Shiromanu Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee are currently in a bitter controversy with the Congress in Haryana over the creation of the HSGPC . The 2 groups have vociferously opposed the creation of the new HSGPC for Haryana Sikh shrines.

The Haryana assembly has also passed a bill under which a new committee will be established to manage the Gurdwaras in Haryana. This bill entitled the Haryana Sikh Gurudwaras (Management) Bill 2014 received the approval of the Haryana governor on June 14. As per the new law the SGPC which is the presiding body that oversees Sikh religious affairs and controls Gurdwaras across Punjab as well as Haryana and Himachal Pradesh will now lose control over 72 Gurudwaras. The SGPC has a yearly budget of around 950 crore rupees and it controls all of the Gurdawaras in Punjab including the holiest Sikh shrine Harmandar Sahib which is also known as the Golden Temple.

India Today has also reported how the HSGPC row has created a crisis between the Haryana government and the Centre as well as the Punjab government and Sikhs. Badal reiterated that the separate Committee for Management of Gurdwaras in Haryana is a "deliberate attempt" to "divide" the Sikhs and dilute their institutions. Now the Akal Takht will resolve the bitter dispute and ensure peace between the warring groups.