Golden Temple image on doormats: SGPC sends legal notice to Amazon

AMRITSAR: The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Wednesday sent a legal notice to e-commerce giant Amazon for the reported display of doormats, rugs and toilet seat covers carrying the image of the Golden Temple on its website.

“It has come to our notice that products such as toilet seat covers, doormats and rugs with the image of the Golden Temple have been displayed for sale on Amazon website. This has hurt the sentiments of the Sikh sangat as well as millions of others who revere the historic shrine,” said SGPC chief secretary Roop Singh.

“We have sent a legal notice to the online major. If the company doesn’t remove these products immediately, we will file civil and criminal cases against it,” he said while adding that a police complaint has already been lodged in this regard.

“Millions of devotees yearn to kiss the floor of the Golden Temple. Putting the image of the shrine on toilet seat covers, doormats and rugs is the most heinous crime. We utterly condemn the display and the sale of these products on Amazon website,” he said.

Through the legal notice, the SGPC has asked Amazon to tender apology to the Sikh sangat and stop the sale of these products immediately. ADCP (city1) Jagjit Singh Walia said they have not received a complaint yet. “If we get the complaint, action will be taken as per the law,” he said.

Roop Singh said, “As Amazon is a foreign-based company, we are also writing to the ministry of external affairs (MEA) to take strict action against it.”

HAVE WITHDRAWN PRODUCTS FROM WEBSITE: AMAZON

Meanwhile, Amazon India’s principal PR Michelle Nalini Kumar has clarified that the company has already withdrawn these products from its website.

Michelle said the products were uploaded from England or Canada by a third party. MOGA : Police resorted to a mild lathicharge on around 20 unidentified men in Baghapurana subdivision of the district,who took to pelting of stones, when stopped from indulging in violence on the last day of filing of nominations of December 30 gram panchayat polls. Before the police action, the miscreants had been snatching files of candidates and tearing nomination papers. “Some cops and candidates were injured in the violence that broke out due to the unruly conduct of the miscreants,” said DSP Ranjodh Singh.