Sikh body drops proposal to rename Gulmarg gurdwara

Putting an end to speculations, the District Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (DGPC), Baramulla, has abandoned the proposal to rename Gurdwara Bhai Vir Singh in Gulmarg, citing strong sentiments among the local Sikh community.

Reports had earlier surfaced suggesting that a proposal was mooted and allegedly even announced publicly to rename the gurdwara after the second Sikh Guru, Guru Angad Dev.

Paramjit Singh, chief of the DGPC, said the proposal had been now formally annulled.

“We have conveyed to the ‘sangat’ that if they want, the name of the gurdwara would not be altered,” he said.

Gurinder Singh Bawa, a member of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) from Maharashtra, clarified that his name was being unnecessarily dragged into the issue. “It was misleading and incorrect that I had ever insisted upon any particular name for the gurdwara,” he said.

The controversy also saw allegations from DGPC member Manmeet Singh, who claimed that the proposed name change was an attempt to assert control over the gurdwara property. He claimed that Bawa was linked to a Trust bearing the name of Guru Angad Dev, implying a possible conflict of interest.

Bawa, however, strongly refuted these claims. He explained that while he had been associated with the Trust bearing the Guru’s name nearly two decades ago, it has remained defunct for years.

Bawa said he had donated around Rs 50 lakh in two instalments directly to the DGPC for the reconstruction work. The gurdwara had suffered damage three decades ago and efforts were on to renovate it. Despite the controversy, Bawa reiterated his commitment to the project.

He clarified that the suggestion to rename the gurdwara after a Sikh Guru cropped up from a general sentiment that gurdwaras should be named after Gurus rather than individuals.