Minorities commission seeks detailed report from Arunachal govt

NEW DELHI The National Commission for Minorities has sought a detailed report from the Arunachal Pradesh chief secretary over the SGPC’s contention that a historical gurdwara associated with Guru Nanak Dev in Mechuka has been converted into a Buddhist temple. In a statement on Monday, the commission said it has taken cognizance of the representation received from Sardar Harjinder Singh Dhami, the president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee about the “conversion of the historical site associated with Guru Nanak Dev in Mechuka, Arunachal Pradesh into a Buddhist temple”. “As such incidents hurt the religious sentiments of the Sikh community and create a feeling of discrimination amongst them, the commission has sent a letter to the chief secretary, Arunachal, on 24.4.2023 seeking a detailed report in the matter for consideration of the Commission,” the statement said. In another statement, the minorities pane; said it has been brought to its notice that a person entered Gurudwara Sahib in Morinda, Punjab and “physically assaulted the priest/granthi performing the Akhand Path” Guru Granth Sahib. However, in this case, the criminal was identified and legal action may have been taken. Punjab has seen a long history of communal violence which could have been averted if the criminal could have been penalised by the competent court and a free and fair enquiry conducted in all those cases,” the statement said. To analyse why this is happening time and again and is not being prevented, the NCM has written a letter to the chief secretary, Punjab, requesting for a list of all cases of sacrilege in Punjab in the last 45 years, the statement said. SGPC delegation to visit Arunachal Pradesh : Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Tuesday initiated the process of sending a delegation to Arunachal Pradesh after it claimed that a historical site associated with Guru Nanak Dev in Mechuka has been converted into a Buddhist temple. SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said the delegation would include SGPC general secretary Gurcharan Singh Grewal, member advocate Bhagwant Singh Sialka, Sikh historian Col Dalvinder Singh Grewal, with assistant secretary Jaswinder Singh Jassi