Revamping publication dept a priority: Jagir Kaur

BQ— — “The issue (missing ‘saroops’) had brought embarrassment to the SGPC and invited the ire of the global Sikh community. It could have been avoided, had timely action been taken and vigilant approach been adopted by the management. Taking it as my prime liability, I have decided to revamp the functioning of the publication department.” Bibi Jagir Kaur, SGPC president

GS PAUL

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 1

The ‘disappearance’ of 328 Guru Granth Sahib ‘saroops’ has compelled Bibi Jagir Kaur, the newly appointed president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), to make the revamping of its publication department a top priority.

Kaur has called up a meeting of officials, tentatively on December 4, to scrutinise the functioning of the department, that is solely authorised to publish, store and issue the ‘saroops’ from the premises of Gurdwara Ramsar Sahib here.

Talking to The Tribune, Kaur termed the ‘saroops’ going missing from the possession of the SGPC a matter of sheer administrative lapse.

“The issue had brought embarrassment to the SGPC and invited the ire of the global Sikh community. However, it could have been avoided, had timely action been taken and vigilant approach been adopted by the management. Taking it as my prime liability, I have decided to revamp the functioning of the publication department,” she stated.

The Akal Takht had appointed a probe panel that had submitted a 1,000-page report after questioning the officials and staff members concerned. The report had indicted 16 persons for misappropriation of the ‘saroops’.

As the report was received, the SGPC executive body, headed by the then president Gobind Singh Longowal, had dismissed as many as five officials and suspended an equal number of them on August 28, but the flip-flop decision on initiating criminal proceedings against them had invited criticism. The chief secretary had put in his papers on the same day.

Believing the probe panel findings, Kaur said the ‘saroops’ that missed the records were never put to sacrilege, but were issued to devotees. “With negligible check on the records, the erring officials kept on misutilising the ‘bheta’ for their personal use and never bothered to put it on record. They carried on doing this with impunity,” the new president said.

The publication department was always kept on ‘low priority’ earlier and only second or third-rank officials and staff members were deputed in this department.

“Now, it will not be the same. The management will directly intervene in the department. We will keep an eye on the publication, maintenance and records of the ‘saroops’ regularly so that there is little room left for any embezzlement in the future. Similarly, new appointments have to be made on merit,” she added.