SGPC sacks Kirpal Singh as Sikh history project director
AFTER SHIROMANI AKALI DAL AND SGPC UPPED THE ANTE AGAINST THE STATE GOVT OVER THE BOOK, KRIPAL HAD REJECTED CLAIMS OF ANY DISCREPANCY
AMRITSAR: The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee on Friday terminated services of historian Kirpal Singh as director of its Sikh history project holding him responsible for alleged distortions in Class 12 Punjab School Education Board’s history textbook.
Kirpal Singh heads the state government’s syllabus committee that prepared the book with the alleged controversial content. After Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and SGPC upped the ante against the state government over the book, Kripal had rejected claims of any discrepancy.
“Instead of justifying the blunder committed by the committee headed by him, he should have apologised to the community. However, he did not do so. So, the SGPC has resolved to sack him as head of the project after consultation with various Sikh bodies”, SGPC president Gobind Singh Longowal told reporters here.
The SGPC also passed a resolution asking Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh to apologize for the controversial contents in the Class 12 textbooks.
“This is a grave sin that has been committed by distorting Sikh history. The responsibility for this lies on the CM. He should apologize to the Sikh community,” Longowal said.
The SGPC had earlier demanded registration of a case and arrest of the expert committee members and others connected with the publication of the textbooks.
Longowal, who conducted meeting at Teja Singh Samundri Hall, the headquarters of the SGPC, said they would soon appoint the new director of the project. Apart from the heads of the Sikh bodies, various Sikh scholars and academicians also attended the meeting.