Akal Takht Jathedar holds CM Bhagwant Mann guilty of ‘religious misconduct’ over Kapurthala gurdwara clash
The Jathedar’s verdict is based on the report of an SGPC sub-committee over the alleged breach of decorum when the police opened fire during a clash at the Gurdwara Akal Bunga in Kapurthala.
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Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. (File Photo)Sri Akal Takht Sahib Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh has held Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann guilty of religious misconduct in connection with the firing incident between the Punjab Police and a group of Nihangs at Gurudwara Akal Bunga in Kapurthala in November last year.
The Shri Akal Takht Sahib Secretariat announced the same in a statement issued on Sunday. A Punjab Police home guard was killed in the clash which broke out early on November 24, 2023, and several others were injured.
The Jathedar’s verdict is based on the report of a sub-committee of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) over the alleged breach of decorum by the police at the Gurdwara Akal Bunga Cantonment Nihang Singhan at Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala.
After considering the report, the Shri Akal Takht Sahib Secretariat said that the facts and statements in it prove that the police conducted a large-scale attack on the gurdwara without any provocation.
“Firing…breaking the dignity by entering the Gurdwara Sahib with the police wearing shoes and disrupting the Sri Akhand Path Sahib going on inside the Gurdwara Sahib by releasing tear gas shells was an act that deeply hurt Sikh sentiments by disrupting decency and sanctity,” the Jathedar said in the statement.
“According to the report of the sub-committee, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, as the head of the Ministry of Home Affairs, is responsible for the act of the police. The CM has been found directly guilty of religious misconduct for breach of decorum and indiscriminate firing,” the Jathedar added.
As per the investigators, the incident in question took place when a police team arrived at the gurdwara to resolve a dispute between two groups of Nihangs. Later, Bhagwant Mann announced a compensation of Rs 2 crore to the kin of the deceased home guard, Jaspal Singh who hailed from Kapurthala’s Maniala.
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