AMRITSAR: The Shiromani Gurdwara Prabhandhak committee is under fire for the alleged misappropniation of thousands of rupees during ongoing renovation work inside the Golden Temple complex.
According to well-informed sources, several senior SGPC officials are allegedly involved in the embezzlement of huge amounts of ‘offerings collected for the repair of Panikarma (circumambulatory waIkway) inside the Darbar Sahib, and the adjoining buildings of the complex which were battered in the 1984 Indian army attack on the Golden Temple, and the 1988 para military attack called Operation Black Thunder.
Several SGPC members are reported to have written to the detained SGPC president Gurcharan Singh Tohra, about corruption in the religious body even after the anticorruption drive Jaunched by him in January. In a related story, it was reported that a revolt is brewing in the SGPC against its president Manjit Singh Calcutta over his style of functioning.
According to SGPC sources the issue was discussed with president GS. Tohra who reportedly agreed that the committee should look for a new incumbent to replace the Secretary. The sources said even though Calcutta is a paid employ of the religious body, he conducted himself as a leader. There already being a plethora of Sikh leaders, this poses a problem. He is also accused of being a government agent.
With the President Tohra in jail, and General Secretary Sant Singh Ghuman being confined to his house in Mulapur in Ludhiana, the secretary is now the key officer to look after the SGPC office in Amritsar, but he is rarely available in office.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 28, 1989
