Gobind Longowal reappointed SGPC chief

GS Paul

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, November 13 

Gobind Singh Longowal was re-elected as the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief amid a ruckus at the general house meeting at the Teja Singh Samundri Hall here on Tuesday.

Longowal’s name was proposed by former SGPC president Bibi Jagir Kaur and endorsed by former SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar and Alwinder Pal Singh Pakhoke, a nephew of expelled Khadoor Sahib MP Ranjit Singh Brahmpura.

At this juncture, two members — Balwinder Singh Bains and Mahinder Singh Hussainpur — staged a walkout. They alleged the poll process was “pre-scripted” and the core issues of Bargari sacrilege and the Behbal Kalan police firing had been placed on the back-burner. 

Gurbachan Singh Karmuwala and Raghujit Singh Virk were re-elected general secretary and senior vice-president. Karmuwala’s name was proposed by SGPC member Bhai Manjit Singh, who was seen as one of the contenders for the president’s post. He was taken in the 11-member executive committee.

At the fag-end of the meeting, Bibi Kiranjot Kaur, the granddaughter of Akali Dal founder Master Tara Singh, stood up and objected to the removal of Dr Kirpal Singh as chairman of the Sikh History Resource Editing Project. Her microphone was switched off even as the SGPC members, including Longowal, chose to look the other way.

“It was disgusting. I was bullied in the presence of the SGPC president and my voice muzzled. Dr Kirpal Singh, who was honoured by Akal Takht in 2014, was unceremoniously removed from the research project. I also wanted to raise the issue of the ban on ‘siri saheb (a religious symbol)’ on the domestic Air India flights when international flights, such as Air Canada, have no objection at all,” she said. 

While the SGPC president chose to remain mum on not letting Bibi Kiranjot Kaur put across her point of view, he issued a clarification about the walkout of the two SGPC members, saying the decorum of the House ought to be maintained.

SGPC OFFICE-BEARERS

THOSE RE-ELECTED: President Gobind Singh Longowal, general secretary Gurbachan Singh Karmuwala and senior vice-president Raghujit Singh Virk

11-member executive

Bhai Manjit Singh, Baba Gurmeet Singh Tilokewala, Amrik Singh Vichhoa, Khushwinder Singh Bhatia, Shinghara Singh Lohia, Jarnail Singh Kartarpur, Tara Singh, Bhupinder Singh Bhalwan, Amrik Singh Kot Shameer, Bibi Jasvir Kaur Jaffarwal and Jagjit Singh Talwandi