On January 16, a 5-member team of Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) met members of the Sindhi community over shifting over 90 Swaroop of Shri Guru Granth Sahib from Sindhi Temples to Gurudwara. The aim was to ensure harmony between Sindhi and Sikh communities and resolve the matter peacefully.
Tribune India reported that members of Budha Dal and Satkar committee (Nihang groups) from Punjab went to Sindhi community Temples (Tikana) and asked them to ensure that the sanctity of Guru Granth Sahib is followed. They also asked the Sindhi community to remove idols of Hindu Gods from Tikanas. Though the Sindhi community was ready to follow the norms for keeping Shri Guru Granth Sahib, they refused to remove the idols.
After discussions with the religious leaders of both communities, it was decided that the Sindhi community would submit all copies of Shri Guru Granth Sahib to Imli Sahib Gurudwara, Indore. Following the steps taken by the Sindhi community in Indore, community members in other cities started to follow the process. They submitted multiple copies of Guru Granth Sahib in local Gurudwaras.
The matter was brought to the notice of Akal Takht, which then formed a 5-member panel of the Dharam Parchar Committee (DPC) of the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC). The panel was instructed to visit Indore, meet the community members and resolve the issue.
Speaking to Tribune, DPC member Bhupinder Singh said a joint meeting of the Sindhi community and Sikh community led by Guru Singh Sabha president Manjit Singh Bhatia was held. He said, “Sindhi community is afraid and has shown resentment over the way the Satkar committee members forcibly took away ‘saroops’ and threatened them. They also say that this incident has hurt their emotions and faith.”
The Sindhi community reportedly expressed happiness over the meeting and showed intent to resolve the issue peacefully. Reports suggest they would continue to follow the Sikh faith in future.
It is notable that a group of Nihang Sikhs had visited several Sindhi temples in Indore, and objected to the presence of both idols of Hindu deities and the Guru Granth Sahib in those temples. After that, they demanded that the idols should be removed if the Sindhi community wants to keep the Granth in their temples, or else the Granth should be removed from the Sidhi temples and deposited with a Gurudwara by January 12. The Sindhi community decided to return the Granth, and submitted over 80 Shri Guru Granth Sahib at Gurudwara Imli Sahib at Jawahar Marg in Indore on January 11, a day before the deadline.
