Jagdish Singh Jhinda elected Haryana gurdwara panel president

Jagdish Singh Jhinda was elected president of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) in Kurukshetra on Friday.

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The HSGMC election took place in January, and after co-opting nine additional members in the committee earlier this month, all members assembled at Gurdwara Chhevin Patshahi to elect the president and office-bearers of the committee.

Of 49 members, 48 reached Kurukshetra to participate in the election process.

After failing to reach a consensus, member Major Singh proposed the name of Panthak Dal (Jhinda) group president, Jagdish Singh Jhinda, for the post of president while Harmanpreet Singh proposed the name of Akal Panthak Morcha leader Prakash Singh Sahuwala.

While Akal Panthak Morcha leaders and Sikh Samaj Sanstha president Didar Singh Nalvi demanded election through voting, backed by Baljit Singh Daduwal group, Jhinda, who claimed to have the support of 30 members, was elected by the show of hands. The opposition group staged a walkout and criticised the election process.

Later, Jhinda announced an 11-member executive body comprising five-office bearers and six executive body members. The officer-bearers are Gurmeet Singh (senior vice-president), Gurbir Singh (vice-president), Angrej Singh (general secretary), Balvinder Singh (joint secretary), and Karnail Singh, Palvinder Singh, Kuldeep Singh, Rupinder Singh, Jagtar Singh and Tajinderpal Singh executive members.

Jhinda said, “We have struggled for over two decades for the formation of HSGMC and get the rights to manage the shrines in the state. We will run the committee with transparency and with the support of all members. We are here to perform sewa, and I request all members, even those who are not happy, to support us.”

Akal Panthak Morcha leader Harmanpreet Singh said, “The morcha asked pro-tem chairman Joga Singh to follow the election rules and go for voting, but the rules were violated. They supported the Jhinda group under government pressure, and voting was not held. As per rules, the phones of all the members were deposited with the election officials, but the pro-tem chairman, after using a phone, addressed the congregation at the behest of someone under government pressure and said Jhinda was appointed president. We demand an investigation. If they were confident, they should have gone for voting. The morcha will also move Punjab and Haryana High Court, and also approach the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Judicial Commission.”

Led struggle for separate HSGMC in state

Jagdish Singh Jhinda (71) is among the prominent Sikh leaders in Haryana who led the struggle for a separate HSGMC in Haryana. Jhinda, who won from Ward 18 (Assandh), had been the president of the (ad hoc) committee as well. In 2022, a new panel of the ad hoc committee was formed, in which he was nominated as a member, but he quit after accusing the government of interfering in the committee’s affairs. He had been critical of the BJP and Baljit Singh Daduwal in the past, however, he said he had the support of the members, which helped him become the president.