HSGMC takes over control of Kurukshetra's Gurdwara Chhevin Patshahi

Tribune News Service

Nitish Sharma

Kurukshetra, February 19

A day after being accused of pressurising employees of gurdwaras to hand over the control of the shrines, the ad hoc Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee today took over the control of the management of Gurdwara Chhevin Patshahi in Kurukshetra.

It is one of the important gurdwaras, being managed by the SGPC in Haryana. As per the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Act, the head office of the HSGMC is at Gurdwara Chhevin Patshahi.

While the HSGMC leaders claimed that they had taken the charge in a peaceful manner, the SGPC refuted the claims and said the possession was taken forceibly as the locks were broken.

HSGMC ad hoc chief Mahant Karamjit Singh said: “The ad hoc HSGMC will now manage the gurdwara. We have also taken the charge of the Sikh Mission from where ‘dharm prachar’ is carried out. We faced no opposition or objection and the employees who have been working here will continue to discharge their duties. They have given their consent to work with us.”

Mahant Karamjit Singh said: “We will take the control of all gurdwaras gradually. We request the SGPC president to gracefully hand over the management of all shrines so that a cordial relation could be maintained. Haryana is not the first state to have separate management committee as Delhi, Maharashtra and Bihar already have separate management committees and demands in this regard are being raised in other states too. The SGPC should constitute separate committees as it will help in developing a progressive system.”

HSGMC general secretary Gurvinder Singh Dhamija said: “Everything was done legally and publicly. We have repeatedly requested the SGPC to hand over the charge of the shrines, but to no avail. Today we have taken the charge and I believe that even the SGPC has no objection as we faced no opposition. Those who have been issuing statements are doing so just to please their political masters.”

The district administration had appointed a duty magistrate to maintain the law and order situation.

Meanwhile, SGPC leaders have accused the HSGMC of forcefully taking the control as they broke open the lock of gurdwara golak, an office room and locked the golak with HSGMC lock.

Baldev Singh Kaimpur, senior vice-president of the SGPC, said: “We have apprised the SGPC chief of the development. We will meet Haryana CM and take up the matter. The acts of forcefully taking the control and breaking open the locks are not acceptable.”

Faced no opposition

The ad hoc HSGMC will now manage the gurdwara. We have also taken the charge of the Sikh Mission from where ‘dharm prachar’ is carried out. We faced no opposition or objection and the employees who have been working here will continue to discharge their duties. Mahant Karamjit Singh, HSGMC ad hoc chief

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