PATIALA; Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), at its executive meeting held at Chandigarh, has passed a formal resolution offering to take “the responsibility of maintaining peace and sanctity inside the Golden Temple complex.” in case the police removed its “unauthorized Occupation” of a room in the sarai building of the Golden Temple and withdrew its pickets and barricades installed at all the five entry points to the Golden Temple complex. The police and paramilitary forces have been Manning the devotees” entry to the Temple complex ever since the Operation Bluestar in 1984. The SGPC authorities have long been demanding withdrawal of the forces deployed in and around to frisk the devotes to Harmandir Sahib.

SGPC president, Gurcharan Singh Tohra told media persons that this resolution was passed in response to a statement of the Inspector General of Police (border range), D.R, Bhatti that in case the SGPC takes up the responsibility Of maintaining peace inside the Golden Temple complex, they Were prepared to withdraw the forces.

If in response to this resolution, the police force withdraws from the complex, this would help in casing tension around the complex. It would also lead to acceptance of & major demand of the SGPC.

The executive committee meeting chaired by Tohra also authorized Gurdarshan Singh Dhillon, a professor of History at the Punjab  University, Chandigarh, to prepare a white Paper listing the facts and highlighting the background since 1978, that culminated in the storming of the Golden Temple by the forces in 1984. The white paper, Tohra said, would also provide the role played by the police and other paramilitary forces in Punjab till date.

The white paper would also expose the Punjab Government’s white paper released immediately after the Operation Bluestar, in which several facts were distorted to put the blame on the Akalis for the rise of militancy and Capturing of the Akal Takht, by Sant Jamail Singh Bhindranwale.

The meeting formed & 25-member committee for preparing the program for containing the zila Parishad and block committee elections to be held in October. It also decided to organize a party conference at Fatehgarh Sahib on August 13 and at Longowal village on August 20 to mark the death anniversary of Sant Harchand Singh Longowal.

Article extracted from this publication >> August 19, 1994