Amritsar: Harjinder Singh Dhami, the president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), condemned the online sale of Gutka (a handy book of gurbani) and Gurbani Sainchi (scriptures) by Amazon, urging for an immediate halt to this practice and stating that the shipping via parcels or couriers inevitably diminishes the respect and reverence the scipters deserve.
Dhami said that the online sale of these sacred texts is unacceptable. He stated,
“The sanctity of holy scriptures cannot be upheld when they are treated as mere merchandise. The process of shipping them via parcels or couriers inevitably diminishes the respect and reverence they deserve.” Dhami noted that the Sikh community holds Gurbani in deep reverence, and there is significant dissatisfaction regarding the online sale of Gutka Sahib by Amazon and other e-commerce platforms.
He called upon publishers to avoid selling these scriptures online, considering the respect due to Gurbani.
Dhami mentioned that this issue will be addressed in the forthcoming meeting of the dharam prachar committee (the panel focused on Sikh religious outreach).
In the past, a legal notice was issued to Amazon when similar concerns arose, leading to a temporary suspension of the Gutka Sahib’s online availability.
However, community members have recently reported that this practice has resumed.
In response, a letter is being drafted to Amazon, demanding the immediate removal of Gurbani’s Gutka Sahib from its site and requesting an explanation to be sent to the SGPC.
