The Punjab Police on Sunday (December 7, 2025) registered an FIR in Amritsar in opposition to 16 folks, together with SGPC’s former chief secretary, in reference to the disappearance of 328 ‘saroops’ (sacred copies) of the Guru Granth Sahib in 2020.
The FIR has been registered below sections 295 (injuring or defiling a spot of worship or sacred object with intent to insult a faith), 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts meant to outrage spiritual emotions), 409 (felony breach of belief), 465 (forgery) and 120-B (felony conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code at Division-C police station in Amritsar, in line with an official assertion.
The accused included Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC)’s former chief secretary, Roop Singh, and the ex-secretary of the Dharam Parchar Committee, Manjit Singh.
The others in opposition to whom the case has been registered are Gurbachan Singh, Satinder Singh, Nishan Singh, Paramjit Singh, Gurmukh Singh, Jujhar Singh, Baaj Singh, Dalbir Singh, Kamaljit Singh, Kulwant Singh, Jaspreet Singh, Gurbachan Singh, Satinder Singh and Amarjit Singh.
The matter of the lacking 328 saroops of the Guru Granth Sahib from the SGPC’s publication home in Amritsar got here to gentle in June 2020, resulting in a significant controversy on the time.
It was alleged that it occurred resulting from “misappropriation” by the SGPC employees.
An inquiry was additionally carried out by the Akal Takht-appointed panel into the matter, and a number of other SGPC officers had been discovered responsible of misconduct.
In the meantime, Punjab Meeting Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan mentioned that the state authorities won’t tolerate any act of sacrilege. “Our authorities won’t spare anybody who will commit this sort of heinous crime.” “Guru Sahib ji has guided us to guard all of the religions throughout the globe,” he mentioned.
Singer Bhai Baldev Singh Vadala recommended the State authorities for getting an FIR registered in opposition to those that allegedly dedicated sacrilege of 328 saroops of Guru Granth Sahib.
In the meantime, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami strongly condemned the AAP authorities for what he termed as “open interference” in Sikh establishments.
His remarks got here in response to the federal government’s alleged involvement in supporting sure teams staging a protest associated to the difficulty of lacking ‘saroops’.
Mr. Dhami alleged that the participation of presidency representatives on this long-standing matter and their makes an attempt to subject instructions are solely politically pushed.
He asserted that the Punjab authorities should abandon the phantasm that it may run Sikh establishments in line with its personal needs.
“Qaumi spiritual establishments belong solely to the Sikh neighborhood, and any try by the federal government to intervene won’t be allowed to succeed,” he mentioned.
Mr. Dhami emphasised that the Sikh Panth is aware of nicely how one can safeguard the dignity and traditions of its spiritual establishments.
The SGPC president acknowledged that the difficulty of the 328 sacred ‘saroops’, through which the federal government is making the “grave mistake of intervening”, is only an SGPC administrative matter.
In an announcement, Mr. Dhami mentioned the Akal Takht Sahib itself had carried out an inquiry into the matter, and departmental motion was taken as per the findings and proposals of that report.
The report clearly established that the case was not one in all sacrilege, however quite a matter of economic misconduct by a couple of workers, the assertion mentioned.
He questioned the federal government’s political posture, saying that when all motion has already been accomplished below the directives of the Akal Takht—the supreme authority for the Sikh neighborhood—the federal government has no proper to intervene or politicize the difficulty.
The SGPC president warned the federal government to right away cease interfering in Sikh affairs.
“If such actions affecting the sanctity of Sikh establishments and gurdwaras will not be halted, the Punjab authorities alone will probably be answerable for the implications,” he mentioned.
He additionally appealed to the Jathedar of Akal Takht Sahib to pay attention to authorities interference in issues which have already been resolved as per Akal Takht’s choices, in order that the ‘Panthic’ traditions proceed to be upheld.
Revealed – December 08, 2025 04:40 am IST