Tension outside Golden Temple after SGPC uses force to disperse Sikhs protesting against missing Guru Granth Sahib saroops
Nihang injured in action outside shrine, devotees inconvenienced due to barricades put up overnight
A nihang was injured when the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee used force to disperse Sikh activists from outside the Golden Temple complex as they were demanding criminal cases against SGPC functionaries responsible for the missing Guru Granth Granth Sahib saroops.
The Sikh activists started an indefinite protest on Monday at the main gate of the Teja Singh Samundri Hall, the headquarters of the apex gurdwara body that is facing flak from the community over the missing saroops. Besides criminal cases against the negligent SGPC functionaries, the activists want the saroops located.
Overnight, SGPC employees raised iron barricades at three points to isolate the activists on protest and blocked the entry to the Golden Temple from Gurdwara Baba Atal Rai Sahib and Manji Sahib Diwan Hall.
Due to the blockade, the activists, including the injured nihang, could not join the agitating activists outside Sri Guru Ram Das Serai.
“They were sitting peacefully when the SGPC task force planned to disperse them. They snatched their lathis and started hitting the protesters with them to disperse them. The turbans of two activists fell down and a nihang was injured,” an eyewitness said.
After an hour, more activists gathered at the spot and the situation became tense.
Visitors to the holiest shrine of the Sikhs were facing inconvenience due to the blockades put up by the SGPC.
Mediapersons covering the incident also came under attack by SGPC employees.
