Canadian gurdwaras divided over banning Indian officials
TORONTO: Deep divides have emerged within gurdwara managements in the Canadian province of Ontario over a decision taken by the Ontario Gurdwara Committee or OGC to ban Indian officials from the premises of the places of worship.
The Ontario Sikhs and Gurdwara Council or OSGC held a meeting on Saturday at the Gursikh Sabha gurdwara in Scarborough, a suburb of Toronto.
The matter of the ban on Indian officials 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 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”.
There also appears to be differences within the community on this matter. Yudhvir Singh Jaswal, group editor of the Y Media Group and host of popular talk shows, said audience members who called in had a “mixed response” to the OGC decision. “It’s safe to say that opinion is divided,” he said.
He added that “certain people are welcoming (the decision), some opposing. They want more consultation on the issue.
People are fearing more visa issues and they wonder whether this will further affect relations between India and Canada.”
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.
Other than gurdwaras in Ontario, a release issued by the OGC also stated that three gurdwaras in the province of Quebec are part of the coordinated effort to boycott Indian officials.
OGC office-bearers also believe that similar measures could be undertaken by gurdwara associations in other provinces like British Columbia and Alberta.
Meanwhile, the hardline activist group Sikhs for Justice has claimed that 96 managements of gurdwaras across the United Staets have taken “an unprecedented decision” and “passed a resolution banning the entry of Indian diplomats and of those individuals representing Indian interests in the Gurdwaras and their participation in Nagar Keertans”.