Akal Takht restrains HSGMC office bearers from functioning

Amritsar: In a fresh directive, Akal Takht, the supreme temporal body of Sikhs, today restrained from functioning the newly elected office bearers of Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee. It also instructed that Amritsar-based SGPC will continue to manage the day-to-day affairs of some 25 big Sikh shrines in Haryana, with an average annual income to the tune of Rs 30 crore, and directed all Sikh outfits and parties not to issue any statements to media till the row over the creation of separate HSGMC is “resolved amicably”.The direction came a day after after the Akal Takht intervened in the standoff and directed that congregations of Sikhs here and in Karnal against the formation of a separate Gurdwara Management Committee in Haryana be called off even as the HSGMC elected its new office bearers.While the meetings were cancelled, Akal Takht head Gurbachan Singh today asked the Sikh leaders in Haryana not to disturb the previous administrative system run by Amritsar-based SGPC to manage Sikh shrines in Haryana.“A crisis was created recently which led to unrest among the Sikh community, especially after the formation of HSGMC by the Haryana government,” a statement quoting Singh said.Virtually giving gag orders, Singh directed all Sikh organisations and Sikh political outfits not to make statements before media till the SGPC row is resolved amicably.“Let the affairs of management of all Haryana based Sikh shirnes be managed by the Amritsar-based SGPC so as to maintain peace and harmony,” Singh said.“The management of Haryana based Gurdwaras will be in the hands of Amritar-based SGPC which was looking after in the past and nobody would interfere in the previous management”, he directed.With the fresh directives, the Akal Takht head had restrained the newly formed eleven-member committee, including president of Jagdish Singh Jhinda and other office bearers to begin functioning of newly announced separate HSGMC.On July 16, the Akal Takht had excommunicated Haryana Sikh Leaders including Finance Minister Harmohinder Singh Chatha, Jagdish Singh Jhinda and Didar Singh Nalwi from Sikh Panth on charges of defying the directive of the Akal Takht and forming separate Haryana Sikh Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee.The Haryana Assembly had at its session here on July 11 passed the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Bill 2014 to which Governor Jagan Nath Pahadia gave his assent on July 14 despite opposition from SGPC leaders from Punjab.Haryana government refused to pay heed to Centre's directive to revoke the law that Punjab has termed “unconstitutional” and “illegal”.Meanwhile, taking exception to the Akal Takht directive, radical Sikh outfit Dal Khalsa spokesperson Kanwar Pal Singh said by asking the SAD to call off their conclave slated for today here, the Akal Takht head had provided Shiromani Akali Dal leadership “an escape route”.He said it was strange that the Akal Takht head had also given the same direction to the organisers of the Karnal conclave who were excommunicated from the Sikh Panth few days back by him.He said the Akal Takht should withdraw the edict in which he had excommunicated three Sikhs of Haryana and only then he was entitled to issue directions to them.He urged the Akal Takht head to play the role of the elderly person of the community to resolve the crisis and not act in a biased manner.Yesterday, Jhinda and Nalvi who spearheaded the movement for the formation of Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee for Haryana were elected President and Senior Vice President respectively of the newly notified HSGPC.