SGPC members demand excommunication of Narain Singh Chaura who opened fire at Golden Temple
The SGPC officials described the attack against Sukhbir Badal at the Golden Temple as a direct insult to the authority of the Sri Akal Takht Sahib and a major desecration of the central religious site of Sikhs.
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An SGPC delegation met Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh. (Express Photo)Officials and members of the Executive Committee of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) met Giani Raghbir Singh, Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, on Saturday seeking the excommunication of Narain Singh Chaura who opened fire at the Golden Temple in Amritsar in a bid to attack former Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal.
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader survived the attack on December 4 as the gunshots fired at him missed the target. Badal was standing guard at the Golden Temple after the Akal Takht – the highest seat of temporal power of the Sikhs – punished him and other party leaders for purported failures during the tenure of the SAD government in Punjab.
The petition submitted by the SGPC officials stated that the attack on Sukhbir Badal during his service at the entrance of the Sri Harmandir Sahib caused “profound anguish” to the Sikh community. That the bullets fired by Chaura hit “the pillars of the sacred entrance” added to their mental distress.
They described the attack as a direct insult to the authority of the Sri Akal Takht Sahib, a major desecration of the central religious site of Sikhs, and a deplorable act disrupting its sanctity.
“The vibrations of life emanating from this holy place guide individuals toward spiritual fulfillment and divine inspiration. An attack on such a revered site deeply wounds the sentiments of millions of devotees. Sikhs still carry the scars of the military assault on this site by the Congress-led government in June 1984. This latest act has inflicted fresh emotional trauma on the Sikh community,” the petition said.
The SGPC officials appealed to the Jathedar to have the five Singh Sahibans – the five Jathedars who take crucial decisions – deliberate on the matter and excommunicate Narain Singh Chaura from the community for his heinous actions.
The delegation that met the Jathedar included SGPC Junior Vice President Baldev Singh Kalyan, executive members Surjit Singh Tuglawala, Paramjit Singh Khalsa, Amrik Singh Vachhoa, and Ravinder Singh Khalsa.
Action sought against man who removed Chaura’s turban
Dal Khalsa leaders reached the Akal Takht secretariat on Saturday and pasted a letter outside its wall against an Akali worker who they claimed deliberately removed Narain Singh Chaura’s turban after he was overpowered by officials following the failed attack at Sukhbir Badal.
Dal Khalsa working president Paramjit Singh Mand said, “The police have arrested him (Chaura) and initiated legal proceedings. The law will take its course… However, disrespect of the turban must be addressed.”
“Clear video clips of the turban being removed are available on social media. The Akali worker has been identified as Jaspreet Singh Rana, reportedly the district president of the Youth Akali Dal in Pathankot. You may also independently verify this individual’s identity and his despicable actions,” he said.
“We appeal to the Akal Takht Sahib Jathedar to take immediate and appropriate action against this man who removed Chaura’s turban against Sikh principles and ethics,” Mand added.
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