J&K Sikh groups give credit to Shah, Sukhbir for ‘stopping’ backdoor entries in elected religious bodies

Dinesh Manhotra
Tribune News Service
Jammu, July 13

Two days after the J&K Government extended the tenure of incumbent District Gurdwara Parbandhak Committees (DGPCs) across the Union Territory (UT) for three months, some Sikh groups on Monday gave all credit to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal for what they called, “stopping” backdoor entries in the democratic elected religious bodies.

They also expressed their gratitude towards SGPC president Gobind Singh Longowal and DGPC president Manjinder Singh Sirsa for their sincere efforts to ensure continuation of the tenure of the incumbent committees.

“Elections to these committees were not possible due to prevailing pandemic situation so we were demanding that tenure of the incumbent committees should be extended to foil any attempt of backdoor entry and so to continue developmental and other activities,” TS Wazir, former president of State Gurdwara Parbandhak Board (SGPB) J&K, said, adding, “It was all due to intervention of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal that authorities have extended tenure of the committees.”

Wazir, however, said that they were ready to face elections but oppose any backdoor entry in the democratic elected religious bodies.

On July 11, tenure of the incumbent committees was extended by three months in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. A decision in this regard was taken by the government as tenure of the present bodies was going to end soon.

Some Sikh groups were demanding that early elections should be conducted but incumbent committees were arguing for extending the tenure due to the prevailing situation.    

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