A day after the SGPC filed a complaint against Instagram influencer and fashion designer Archana Makwana for performing yoga inside the Golden Temple premises and she started receiving threats to her life, she thanked the Vadodara crime branch for providing police protection. Through a post on Instagram on Sunday (23rd June), she expressed gratitude to the Gujarat Police and Gujarat government for their prompt action. She added that the Vadodara crime branch gave her police action even though she had not applied for it.
The Vadodara-based fashion designer and influencer, Makwana uploaded a video message on her Instagram account. In the video, she said, “I have just received Police protection from the Vadodara crime branch and I didn’t even apply for it. So, I feel really overwhelmed. Gratitude to Vadodara Police and Gujarat Police for taking such quick prompt action and for all those worried about me, please don’t be, I am safe. Thank you to the government of Gujarat for giving me the protection. Thank you, Jai Hind, and Har Har Mahadev.”
Pertinently, after the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) filed a police complaint against her for performing Yoga inside the Sri Darbar Sahib premises on International Yoga Day, Archana Makwana has been receiving death and rape threats. in her Instagram status, Makwana has shared several threatening messages which she had been receiving on social media and messaging platforms.
One person wished that the Nirbhaya rape and murder incident happened to her so that she had died long ago. Notably, the woman is receiving such threats even though she promptly apologised after SGPC accused her of hurting Sikh sentiments by doing Yoga in Darbar Sahib.
Another person asked her to be thankful that she is still alive after the crime of performing yoga in Darbar Sahib, else someone would have killed her by now.
Archana Makwana also received several audio messages with death threats, as shared by her in a earlier Instagram status.
The development came after the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) filed a complaint against her for performing Yoga inside the Sri Darbar Sahib premises, popularly known as Golden Temple, in Amritsar. The step was taken after visuals of the Instagram influencer performing Yoga in Sri Darbar Sahib Prakrama on International Yoga Day on 21st June appeared on social media.
Additionally, the SGPC also ordered action against three employees of Prakrama for allegedly not performing their duties diligently.
Shiromani Committee President Harjinder Singh Dhami said that ‘no one can be allowed to act against Guru Mati at Sachkhand Sri Harmandir Sahib, but some people deliberately ignore the sanctity and historical importance of this holy place and commit heinous acts.’
Dhami said she performed yoga and left the temple without offering prayers. He added that Sikh sentiments were hurt by the act of the woman Archana Makwana, and therefore a complaint has been filed against her. He said that the woman has already apologised for the act, and added people should not do such an act that requires them to apologise later.
The SGPC complained to the Amritsar police commissioner under Section 295A for hurting religious feelings. Based on SGPC’s complaint, the Punjab Police had registered a case against her. In the complaint, she was accused of offending Sikh religious sentiments.
Notably, Archana Makwana poses Shirshasana before famous landmarks across the country. In continuation, she had posted photos and videos of herself doing yoga at the Golden Temple.
When the controversy erupted, she deleted her posts and issued an apology on Instagram, stating that she didn’t intend to offend anyone. Makwana expressed that she visited the temple after receiving a yoga award in Delhi and performed yoga briefly as a gesture of gratitude. She added that she was unaware that practising yoga on the Gurdwara Sahib premises could be offensive to some. She added that she intended to pay respect and didn’t mean any harm to anyone.
However, despite the apology, Makwana mentioned that she was being subjected to death threats, which prompted the Vadodara crime branch to provide her with police protection.
