Video row: SGPC chief urges Takht to take action against Charanjit Chadha
AMRITSAR : Breaking its silence apparently on the video row involving Charanjit Singh Chadha, the since-ousted president of Chief Khalsa Diwan (CKD), the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Tuesday urged the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, to take action against him.
In a resolution passed during its second executive meeting since Gobind Singh Longowal took over as president, the SGPC did not name Chadha, whose son has committed suicide after the controversy. It read: “Because of immoral acts done by some Sikh leaders during the recent time, the dignity of Sikhs has been demolished and it has also imposed a bad impact on the minds of children and youth.”
Later, at a first press conference when Longowal was asked about the Chadha case, he said: “We have passed a resolution in this regard and a press note will be sent soon.”
The press note further quoted the resolution, “In the world history, Sikhs occupied a unique place of distinction due to their high character strength and by the virtue of their virtuous lifestyle, but the incidents that have occurred have lessened the shine.”
The SGPC thus urged the jathedar of the Takht, Giani Gurbachan Singh, that “for taking the dignity of Sikhs at such a position where it was earlier, he should put make special efforts and take appropriate action against all those who try to ruin the dignity of Sikhism”.
Although Giani Gurbachan Singh had summoned Chadha two days after the video clip in which he is seen with a woman principal went viral, no date was mentioned. On January 10, he again summoned Chadha to appear during the clergy’s meeting scheduled for January 23.
After a 14-year run as CKD chief, Chadha was expelled even from primary membership of the organisation, which runs more than 50 schools and other institutions, as he was booked for sexual harassment and criminal intimidation in the last week of December.
ON RECRUITMENTS Meanwhile, among other decisions at the meeting, the SGPC chief said: “For sorting out all issues pertaining to the Sikhs community, I will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Rajnath Singh.”
He further said that for more transparency in the working of the SGPC, he has constituted a sub-committee which will prepare a new plan for recruitments and propositions of employees. It will also probe allegations of irregularities in recruitments made during the tenure of Kirpal Singh Bandugar, the SGPC chief said.
The committee also gave the green signal to increasing the dearness allowance for employees.
ON GURU NANAK BIRTH ANNIVERSARY
The SGPC chief said it has decided to organise a dharam parchar lehar (religious propagation wave) to mark the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the first guru of Sikhs. He said though the day will be observed in 2019, the SGPC will soon start religious programmes at Nankana Sahib (Pakistan), Sultanpur Lodhi (Kapurthala), Dera Baba Nanak (Gurdaspur) and at Gurdwara Dera Sahib (Tarn Taran) in this regard.