AMRITSAR: The demand of the All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) led by Mr, Harminder Singh Gill to suitably amend the Gurdwara Act to bring the “deras” run by individual Sikh sants and mahants under the control of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has added another dimension to the ongoing war of attrition between the SGPC and Sant Samaj for control of gurdwaras. ‘The AISSF put this demand in writings to the National Commission for Minorities at a meeting held at Delhi Recently. The meeting was attended by various Sikh organizations including SGPC and Shiromani Akali Dal factions headed by Mr. Parkash Singh Badal and Mr. Simranjit Singh Mann, The demand raised by AISSF log Control of deras was significant in the light of fact that the Gill faction of federation was considered on good footing with the SGPC president Mr. Gurcharan Singh Tohra who always plays his cards close to the chest.

The AISSF has gone a step further and demanded to enact an All India Gurdwara Act in place of the Gurdwara Act of 1925 to respect the Sikh sentiments and to streamline the maryada (ritual) in all gurdwaras in the country. The federation has pinpointed that deras were under the private control of sants and mahants who make huge earnings in the shape of offerings and not maintaining any account of funds. The complaints of malpractices were numerous, it added,

The roots of this demand, however, seems to be grounded in the fresh conflict between the SGPC on the one hand and Damdami Taksal and Sant Samaj on the other hand, The Sant Samaj which has the backing of Damdami Taksal (Bhindranwale sect) had already declared to contest the next general elections of SGPC to be held sometime next year. The SGPC had time and again been trying to propagate the fact that Sant Samaj and the Damdami Taksal which is contemplating to gain control over SGPC themselves were not ready to hold elections for gurdwaras under their control.

It is in this light that the SGPC had recently categorically pronounced the death of Sant Jarnail Singh

Bhindranwala to belie the claim of the Damdami Taksal. The SGPC had also honored Sant Bhindranwale posthumously on the last day of the World Sikh convention held at Amritsar in October.

Though the SGPC had a knowledge of Bhindrawala’s death from the very first day, it was keeping its eyes closed until the Damdami Taksal came to a direct confrontation with it by organizing a ‘Khalsa march’ parallel to that of the SGPC on Diwali day. The SGPC was also allegedly deliberately postponing the publishing of a white paper on Operation Bluestar to avoid admitting to Bhindranwala’s death it has now decided to go ahead with its plan on the white paper on operation Blue star to avoid admitting to Bhindrarawala  death it has now decided to go  the white paper.  

 The AISSF argued that the demand to enact an All India Gurdwara Act ‘was at an earlier stage raised by the Shiromani Akali Dal and the SGPC, the Government of India had referred it to the Sarkaria Commission for consideration, The federation has requested the minority commission to pursue this demand at an appropriate level.

Article extracted from this publication >> December 8, 1995