SGPC panel to visit Indore

AMRITSAR/FATEHGARH SAHIB: Taking a serious note of demolition of Gurdwara Kartar Kirtan in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Tuesday formed a three-member sub-committee to probe into the matter.

SGPC chief Kirpal Singh Badungar said the committee would include SGPC executive member Surjit singh Bhittewad, member Rajinder Singh Mehta and additional secretary (Dharam Parchar) Balwinder Singh Kahlwan.

“This committee will visit Indore to get first-hand information and will demand action accordingly,” he said, adding that it will submit a report to the SGPC. ‘SIKHS TREATED AS 2ND-CLASS CITIZENS’ Condemning the Indore gurdwara demolition, Damdami Taksal chief Harnam Singh Dhumma on Tuesday said the Sikhs were being treated as second-class citizens in the country.

In a release issued here, he said: “While the contribution of Sikhs is being recognised and the coins containing Sikh articles are being released in other countries, the Union government is ignoring them. The move to demolish the Indore gurdwara has hurt the religious sentiments of Sikhs.” The seminary chief also asked the Centre to scrap the Sikh blacklist.

Meanwhile, the SGPC chief also went all out to praise the Ontario’s legislative for recognising the 1984 anti-Sikh riots as ‘genocide’. “They have realised that Sikh have been paying an important role in running economy, defence system and other operations in Canada,” said Badungar. He also appreciated Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce for issuing coins with Sikh signs.