Ahead of Punjab Assembly elections, probe into 328 missing Saroops goes cold
SIT Chief Nanak Singh said the inquiry into the missing Saroops is moving forward, though he acknowledged that a formal chargesheet has yet to be filed.
Sikh activist Baldev Singh Wadala fears the 328 missing Saroops case has been deliberately sidelined. (File photo) What began as a politically charged probe into the disappearance of 328 saroops or copies of the Guru Granth Sahib has all but vanished from Punjab’s political discourse ahead of the election year, with no chargesheet filed, no fresh arrests made, and growing allegations that the investigation has been quietly pushed into cold storage.
After the First Information Report (FIR) in the case was registered on December 17, 2025, following a five-year campaign led by Sikh activist Baldev Singh Wadala, the AAP government aggressively backed the investigation, hoping it would politically corner Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) president Sukhbir Singh Badal and dent the party’s support among Sikh voters ahead of the Assembly elections.
Initially, the strategy appeared clear: a high-profile probe into the missing saroops could damage the SAD(B) and potentially help the ruling AAP consolidate Sikh support. The police attested Shiromani Gurudwara Parbhandak Committee (SGPC) employee Kamaljit Singh and Satinder Singh Kohli, a close aide of Sukhbir Badal, but both later secured bail. Since then, the probe has largely gone silent.
In April, the Mann government shifted focus toward a new anti-sacrilege law, presenting it as a major initiative to protect Sikh sentiments. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann also launched a high-profile “Shukrana Yatra”, attempting to position himself as a defender of Sikh interests ahead of the elections.
‘SIT is sleeping’
Wadala, who had supported the Punjab Government’s anti-sacrilege legislation despite objections from the Akal Takht and SGPC, now fears the 328 missing Saroops case has been deliberately sidelined.
“The SIT probing the case is sleeping,” Wadala told The Indian Express, while accusing the government of not doing enough in the case.
Special Investigation Team chief Nanak Singh, however, maintained that the inquiry is continuing. “We are investigating and have sought more documents from SGPC. We expect to get them on May 27,” he said while acknowledging that no chargesheet has been filed yet.
On where the 328 Saroops are right now, he said, “We are working on that only,” claiming there has been “substantive progress.”
Wadala, however, pointed to the arrest and prolonged remand of Sukhbir Badal’s former personal assistant, Satinder Singh Kohli, after which, he claimed, the SIT became inactive. “Either they (police) got nothing, or got everything. We fear that both sides, the government and SAD(B), have reached a compromise,” he said.
“When Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was summoned to Akal Takht by Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj over objectionable videos, he arrived with two black bags. After that meeting, neither the chief minister nor the Jathedar spoke publicly about what was in those bags again. Were there dark deeds in those black bags, or did both sides put up a show and strike a deal?” Wadala asked.
With Punjab elections ahead, Wadala made clear that his organisation would not allow the case to be quietly buried. Though Wadala recently met the Punjab CM, he has approached a court seeking a status report on the investigation.
He said that after receiving the SIT’s status report, he would pursue both legal action through the Punjab High Court and a mass movement on the ground.
“If the government makes the mistake of dropping this case midway, it could prove fatal for them,” he said.
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