Failure of SGPC to articulate Sikh aspirations comes up in context of honouring of police officer Umranangal

The setting up of a sub-committee by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee to investigate the honouring of controversial police officer Paramraj Singh Umranangal has not only failed to assuage the Sikh sentiments but has raised the very issue of the incompetence of this elected Sikh body to articulate the Sikh thought and aspirations.

This so called mini-Parliament of the Sikhs elected through direct franchise has a glorious history of raising the issues like the Sikh homeland and the separate and exclusive identity of the Sikhs. This body used to be headed by the stalwarts over the years who dictated the Sikh religio-political discourse.

Independent Sikh leaders have questioned the very legitimacy in appointing this probe panel that is being viewed as a cover up operation in the Umranangal case. The SGPC has transferred two of its officials involved while constituting this panel.

Former SGPC general secretary Kiranjot Kaur has raised the larger issue of the failure of this body to function as an organisation that at one time used to articulate ambitions and aspirations of the Sikhs, besides the management of the notified gurdwaras under its control in Punjab that got reorganised in 1966. This body continues to cover the same geographical area as the decision of Haryana to have its separate body is under judicial scrutiny.

An inspector general of police, Umranagal is under suspension in the case of police firing at Kotkapura on people protesting against the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib in 2015 when the chief minister was Parkash Singh Badal. His name had at one time surfaced in the cases of killings in fake encounter during militancy.

Yet another leader who has questioned the credibility of the SGPC leadership is former Akal Takht Jathedar Bhai Ranjit Singh. He has humbly invited SGPC chief Gobind Singh Longowal in a video message to an open debate on the related issue in the presence of the media.

He has raised another important point relating to the honouring of Umranangal. He has said that Akhand Path was performed in his name at the end of which he was honoured in the office of the Langar. What is important is the site where the Akhand Path was organised in the Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) complex. It was organised at the memorial of Baba Gurbaksh Singh  that remains booked for Sukhbir Singh Badal and his wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal. Ordinary people are denied this place. As such, the issue of more than the involvement of manager level employees of the SGPC.

Both Bhai Ranjit Singh and Kiranjot continue to raise the issue of degeneration of the SGPC with specific references rather than making some generalised statements and both are insiders. The credentials of these two leaders in the Sikh spectrum are known to be comparatively unquestionable.

The SGPC, over the years, has been reduced from religio-political organisation of the Sikhs to just a managing committee and that too a degenerated one. This body has turned corporate having modernised offices but what is missing is commitment to the Panth that is basic to its functioning. This aspect can’t be blamed on the Sikh Gurdwara Act. It was the general house constituted under this very act that is credited with historical decisions concerning the ambitions and aspirations of the Sikhs. And an Act can always be amended to make the body in tune with the changing situation.

The basic issue is that of restoring credibility of this body. The issue of casteism at the highest level in the Darbar Sahib hierarchy had come up after the death of Padma Shri Ragi Bhai Nirmal Singh.

It was under similar situation of degeneration of the Sikh institutions that the gurdwara liberation movement was launched about 100 years back.