HSGMC’s panel chief resigns

Parvesh Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 24

In a setback to the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC), its Dharam Parchar Committee chairman (DPC) Gurmeet Singh resigned from his post today.

The resignation comes a day before celebrations of 350th birth anniversary of 10th Sikh master, Guru Gobind Singh, start in Haryana.

“I have resigned as I want to concentrate on the working of a gurdwara in Sirsa’s Tilokewala village. There are other reasons which I cannot share,” Gurmeet told The Tribune.

In his three-line resignation sent to the HSGMC secretary, Gurmeet said he was unwilling to continue as the DPC chairman. He gave no reason for his decision.

The DPC, an important body of the HSGMC, is responsible for propagating Sikhism across the state; it organises meeting in villages with the help of its local members.

The committee is supervising the preparations for the series of events to mark the event; the celebrations will start from Ambala district on Sunday.

Sources said Gurmeet was elected a member of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) from Sirsa in 2011. The Punjab and Haryana High Court declared the SGPC election null and void after it restored voting rights of Sehajdhari Sikhs. The SGPC moved the Supreme Court against the High Court’s decision.

Gurmeet joined the HSGMC in 2014.

Last week, the apex court reinstated the SGPC House elected in 2011, barring Sehajdhari Sikhs from voting in the SGPC elections.

“After the Supreme Court decided in favour of the SGPC, Gurmeet decided to leave the HSGMC and join back the SGPC,” said a source in the HSGMC.

Jagdish Singh Jhinda, HSGMC president, said he was unaware of the reason for Gurmeet’s resignation. “I have not seen him in the monthly meetings of the HSGMC executive committee for some months,” he said.

Joga Singh, HSGMC general secretary, said they had formed a special committee under the supervision of Jasbir Singh Khalsa to supervise events.