HSGMC claims to have taken over charge of two Gurdwaras in Ambala

Ambala, October 2

Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) Sunday claimed to have taken over the control of two historic gurdwaras of Ambala—Lakhnor Sahib Gurdwara and Mardon Sahib Gurdwara.

The committee had recently claimed to have taken over the charge of Gurdwara Panjokhara Sahib, which is also located in Ambala.

Earlier, the management of these gurdwaras was under the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).

The Supreme Court recently upheld the constitutional validity of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara (Management) Act, 2014 under which a separate committee was formed to manage the affairs of gurdwaras in the state.

Notably, over a week ago, the SGPC, which is the apex religious body of the Sikhs, had in its executive committee meeting held in Chandigarh decided to file a review petition against the Supreme Court order.

Meanwhile, in Ambala, heavy police force was deployed near the two gurdwaras as a precautionary measure.

No one objected to this move and the managements were transferred peacefully, HSGMC spokesperson Sukhwinder Singh Bitta and senior leader Jasbir Singh Khalsa said.

Khalsa said that Haryana's Sikh Sangat has got this right to manage the affairs of gurdwaras in the state after a long fight.

A delegation of the HSGMC and other Sikh bodies' delegates from many gurudwaras across the state had over a week ago called upon Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who had told them that "Supreme Court's verdict is a victory of Sikh bodies of Haryana".

Khattar had also said that the state government, while respecting the sentiments of the Sikhs, strongly defended the formation of a separate gurdwara managing committee for Haryana in the Supreme Court.

from The Tribune https://ift.tt/6huM0VS