Canada gurdwaras split over decision

TORONTO: Deep divides have emerged within gurdwara managements in the Canadian province of Ontario over a decision taken by the Ontario Gurdwara Committee (OGC) to ban Indian officials from the premises of the places of worship.

The Ontario Sikhs and Gurdwara Council(osgc) held a meeting on Saturday at the Gursikh Sabha gurdwara in Scarborough, a suburb of Toronto.

The matter of the ban figured in the discussions. Former OSGC president and council member Harbans Singh Jandali, who was at the meeting, later told HT, “We have not imposed any ban because this isn’t issue for us.”

Asked about the OGC decision, he said, “That is their opinion; it is up to them. We have never seen this interference.”

He was referring to the OGC charging Indian officials with interfering in affairs of gurdwaras and the Sikh community and making that one of the reasons for the ban.

The OGC, meanwhile, has doubled down on the ban. In a release, it said “due to increased interference from Indian consular and

government officials, it was felt that this notice be put in writing so gurdwaras can place this in plain view”.

The release, though, also underscored a reality: That representatives of India were not welcome at many gurdwaras for years and the announcement on December 30 was to “formalise a long-standing policy”.

As far as India’s engagement with many hardline gurdwara managements goes, the situation on the ground is unlikely to alter.

But the OGC move may set off a chain reaction within Canada and even beyond its borders.