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SGPC seeks ban on liquor stores, tobacco sales near Golden Temple, wants holy city status for Amritsar

In a letter to the state government, SGPC secretary Kulwant Singh has written that there are liquor vends and tobacco vends on the route to Darbar Sahib.

Shiromani Gurudwara Parbhandak Committee, sgpc, liquor ban, golden temple,In November last year, BJP's Dr Jagmohan Singh Raju too had demanded a ban on the sale of liquor and tobacco products within a one-mile radius of the Golden Temple. (Express File Photo: Prabal Mandal)

The Shiromani Gurudwara Parbhandak Committee has urged the Punjab government to declare Amritsar as holy city, the demand coming months after a BJP leader protested outside the Golden Temple for a day to press for the same demand.

In a letter to the state government, SGPC secretary Kulwant Singh has written that there are liquor vends and tobacco vends on the route to Darbar Sahib.

“SGPC has long been demanding a complete ban on liquor stores and tobacco sales around the central religious shrine of the Sikhs, the spiritual center of humanity, Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) in Amritsar, as well as on the routes leading to it. However, no appropriate and effective measures have been taken in this regard by the state government,” reads the letter.

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“This lack of action negatively impacts devotees. Amritsar is a sacred city, known as the City of the Guru, where millions of devotees from across the country and abroad visit daily. It is the government’s duty to recognize the ambience of Darbar Sahib and grant the city status of a holy city. With hope for full cooperation,” it adds.

In November last year, Dr Jagmohan Singh Raju, who resigned as additional chief secretary in Tamil Nadu to unsuccessfully contest the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections from Amritsar East, too had demanded a ban on the sale of liquor and tobacco products within a one-mile radius of the Golden Temple.

Raju’s demand had come four decades after the BJP held a pro-cigarette and beedi march, displaying tobacco products, to protest against a SGPC call to declare Amritsar holy city.

In a Facebook post, Raju had said Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s government has not responded to his representation regarding this demand, prompting him to protest outside Darbar Sahib for one day.

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On September 27, 2022, Raju had requested the National Commission for Minorities to direct the Punjab government to ban the sale and consumption of liquor and tobacco products within a one-mile radius of historical gurdwaras, including the Darbar Sahib.

He also called for a complete ban on smoking and drinking in public places in the state and suggested declaring gurpurabs (days related to Sikh Gurus) as dry days. Additionally, he proposed that liquor vends should operate on alternate days.

The commission issued a notice to the Mann government but it did not respond, according to Raju. On March 29, 2023, he filed a PIL petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. He subsequently submitted a representation to the Mann government in May 2023.

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