Amritsar — The SGPC has sought Centre’s permission to allow the five Sikh head priests and its important functionaries to carry their own arms while travelling in and outside Punjab.
In a letter to the Union home secretary on Sunday, the SGPC further sought permission that their gunmen be allowed to carry arms. The SGPC has sent a copy of the letter to the Punjab home secretary pointing out that the ‘local authorities have not renewed the permission to carry arms by head priests in the district after it expired on February 5.
An SGPC official explained that since the head priests had turned down repeated offers of the Government for security arrangements it was necessary to make their own security arrangements in the wake of attack on the head priest of Akal Takht, Mr. Kirpal Singh, near Ludhiana on January 16.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 1, 1985
