AMRITSAR, Jan 12: Akal Takht officiating Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj has directed the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to cooperate with the Punjab government’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) regarding the 328 missing ‘saroops’ of Guru Granth Sahib. This directive reverses a previous decision made by the five Sikh high priests that had instructed the SGPC to withhold cooperation from state authorities.
The Jathedar clarified that while the Akal Takht maintains its stance against government interference in SGPC’s internal jurisdiction, cooperation is now authorized specifically to address the financial misappropriation linked to the missing saroops.1 SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami has been officially empowered to provide the necessary information to investigators.
“If the government requires any information for investigation, it may be examined at the SGPC’s Chandigarh sub-office in the presence of President Harjinder Singh Dhami,” Jathedar Gargaj stated. He noted that the issue stems from an internal inquiry by the Ishar Singh Commission, which found that saroops were distributed through collusion between corrupt employees and officials without depositing the required ‘bheta’ (offerings) into trust funds.
The Jathedar further warned that the matter should not be politicized, referencing the commission’s report which labels any party seeking political mileage from the issue as “guilty of betraying Panthic interests.” He reiterated that 16 individuals have already been named as accused and have faced departmental action following the findings of the inquiry commission.
