NEW DELHI/ CHANDIGARH: The Sikh Forum has strongly condemned the Gurdwara Rakabganj Sahib clash that took place in New Delhi on November 15.
In a joint press release issued by R.S. Chhatwal, secretary of Forum, president Maj. Gen. M.S. Chadha, members Dr. Anup Singh, Dr. Maheep Singh, Dr. A.S. Narang, Harbhajan Singh Nishkam, IAS Tarlochan Singh, Col. Manohar Singh said the incident has brought shame to the Sikhs across the world.
The statement said: “A shameful and regrettable incident in Gurudwara Rakab Ganj Sahib has brought shame to the Sikhs all over the world. The president of the Gurudwara Committee has disgraced the teachings of the Sikh Gurus. If one respectable elected member of the Delhi Committee has been meted out such treatment and his turban was displaced, then what treatment an ordinary devotee will get at the hands of such leaders?”
Flaying politics in the name of religion, the Forum members added: “It reminds us of days before the Gurudwara Movement when the Mahants who were incharge of the Gurudwaras, acted on the behest of British rulers, and burnt alive the commoner Sikhs within the Gurudwara premises.”
The further termed the incident as inhuman and said no responsible citizen should accept such behavior.
The forum blamed the delay in the election to the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Managment Committee (DSGMC) as the main reason behind the ugly clash. The members blamed the Delhi and the Central Governments for delaying the polls.
“The direct responsibility of this avoidable incident falls on the Delhi Government and its Chief Minister Sheila Dikhsit and also on Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh who is a Sikh himself,” said the statement.
The Sikh Forum appealed to the Delhi and Central Governments to honour the directions of the Supreme Court that the election should be held before December 31, 2012. The members urged the Delhi Government to announce the election schedule immediately and avoid playing with the sentiments of the Sikh Community.
