SACKED SGPC MEN THREATEN CHANGE OF RELIGION
AMRITSAR:A day after being terminated from services, 15 SGPC employees threatened to change their religion with families through a letter to SGPC president Kirpal Singh Badungar on Thursday.
These persons were working as ‘sewadars’ and ‘helpers’ since five to six months at Gurdwara Gurusar Madoke falling in Ajnala sub-division in Amritsar district. Around four months ago, this gurdwara was not under direct control of the SGPC and local committee managed its affairs.
The apex gurdwara body took over its control after the local committee office-bearers faced allegations of bungling gurdwara money .
After taking its control, the SGPC connected this gurdwara with prominent Gurdwara Chheharta Sahib and assigned its manager to look after its affairs.
“Since the SGPC took over the control, we did not get the wages. On Wednesday, we went on our routine duty, but manager Jagtar Singh told us over phone that our services have been terminated,” reads the letter sent to Badungar.
Alleging that SGPC member Surjit Singh Bhittewad is behind the deed, the terminated employees who are baptised, stated that they have also met the key officials of the SGPC, but nobody heard them.
“We are poor and not able to move courts. In such a situation, it would be better for us to join another religion,” they said.
Requesting the SGPC president, they said, “You are the leader of the Qaum and can resolve our issue. If we are not reinstated by November 26, we would abandon the ‘kakars’ (five articles of Sikh faith) before Akal Takht and would join another religion.”
Terminated employee Dilbag Singh of Kohali village, said that they will meet Akal Takht jathedar on Friday to hand over memorandum in this regard.
When contacted, Bhittewad said, “These employees were appointed by the tainted office bearers with wrong intentions ignoring all appointment conditions. Actually they had secret plan to hand over the control to the SGPC. So, they deliberately put the financial burden on management,” he said.