NEW DELHI | The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has held the BJP-led Central Government responsible for Delhi Police personnel entering Gurdwara Sri Bangla Sahib wearing shoes and carrying batons. AAP Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj stated that the incident had hurt Sikh religious sentiments and demanded that Union Home Minister Amit Shah apologise to the Sikh community.
The AAP Delhi Chief also urged the BJP to learn from history, recalling an earlier incident in which a government and party faced serious consequences after police entered a gurdwara. He appealed to the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognisance of the incident, summon the Delhi Police Commissioner and establish whose orders led to the police entering the gurdwara.
Addressing a press conference alongside MLA Sardar Jarnail Singh, AAP Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj stated, “There are gurdwaras in almost every locality of Delhi. According to Sikh philosophy, anyone who sees the Nishan Sahib of a gurdwara and comes there is offered langar and a place to rest. This fundamental philosophy was given by Guru Nanak Dev Ji, and Sikhs across the world follow it with complete devotion. It is deeply shocking that the police entered a gurdwara in full uniform, wearing shoes and carrying batons.”
Saurabh Bharadwaj further said, “History bears witness that when the khaki uniform entered a gurdwara on an earlier occasion, the government and party responsible had to face serious consequences. Even after repeatedly apologising, they were not forgiven by the Sikhs. On Saturday, the Delhi Police, which comes under the Central Government, did the same thing, and neither the Central Government nor the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, has apologised for it so far. This is an extremely sensitive religious matter, and the government must not bring politics into it.”
Appealing to the judiciary on behalf of the Aam Aadmi Party, the Delhi State President emphasised, “The High Court and the Supreme Court should take suo motu cognisance of this matter, summon the Delhi Police Commissioner and ask under whose orders the Delhi Police entered Gurdwara Sri Bangla Sahib.”
Meanwhile, Tilak Nagar MLA Sardar Jarnail Singh stated, “The way the Delhi Police, acting at the BJP’s behest, entered Gurdwara Sri Bangla Sahib on Saturday and treated the Sangat is unacceptable under any circumstances. I had expected that the sight of police personnel entering the gurdwara carrying batons and wearing shoes would hurt the office-bearers of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), prompting them to approach Delhi Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu and lodge a complaint against the Delhi Police.”
Jarnail Singh continued, “Sikhs across the world are deeply outraged that the DSGMC is disrespecting Sikh traditions at the BJP’s behest. Instead of approaching the Lieutenant Governor, the DSGMC president and other office-bearers went to the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), New Delhi, and lodged a counter-complaint against the Aam Aadmi Party and our leaders, alleging that we had attempted to hold a political protest inside the gurdwara.”
Exposing the DSGMC’s compulsions, the Tilak Nagar MLA stated, “The committee’s president, Sardar Harmeet Singh Kalka, has himself contested an election on a BJP ticket. His wife has contested from Jangpura on a BJP ticket, and several committee members either aspire to contest elections on a BJP ticket or have already done so. This is why the DSGMC is working at the BJP’s behest.”
He said, “Under the rules, whenever a breach of religious protocol takes place inside a gurdwara, there is a task force comprising hundreds of sewadars who explain the rules to people. The DSGMC president must clarify when the Delhi Police or security forces were given permission to enter a gurdwara and people anyone out.”
Jarnail Singh reminded the committee of Sikh principles, stating, “According to Sikh principles, anyone who enters a gurdwara comes under the protection of the Guru, and no harm can be allowed to come to them. What happened inside the gurdwara on Saturday was deeply shameful.”
“The DSGMC must stop playing with the sentiments of the Sikh Sangat for its own personal gains. A competition is underway within the Akali Dal factions to curry favour with the BJP, even as the people of Punjab have made it clear, by giving the BJP just two of the 117 seats, that they do not support its dictatorship. The Sikh community has never bowed before dictatorship,” he asserted.
On behalf of the Aam Aadmi Party, Jarnail Singh demanded, “The DSGMC members must abandon their personal ambitions linked to the BJP, apologise to the Sangat and uphold the dignity of the positions they hold. People from across the world are sharing videos of this incident. In the future, any action inside a gurdwara must be carried out only by sewadars. Under no circumstances can the police be allowed to enter the premises and drive people out.”
