SGPC to probe presentation of siropa to former CKD head Chadha

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) will inquire into the presentation of a siropa to Chief Khalsa Diwan (CKD) former president Charanjit Singh Chadha at the langar hall of the Golden Temple on Thursday.

The siropa is a robe of honour bestowed upon a person for his commitment and dedication to Sikhism or who has achieved something remarkable. In the past, there have been several instances when giving a siropa to a person has courted controversies.

The Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs, had prohibited Chadha from addressing any religious, social, political and educational functions for two years, after a sleazy video surfaced in December 2017, in which he, allegedly, is seen in a compromising position with a woman principal of a school that the CKD runs. Chadha, was also removed as the chief of the CKD, a 115-year-old socio-religious organisation, after the video surfaced.

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Chadha, with wife Harbans Kaur, had visited the central Sikh shrine and donated a machine for preserving milk in summers to the Langar hall. For the donation, SGPC employees looking after the affairs of the langar presented him with a ‘siropa’.

SGPC spokesperson Diljit Singh Bedi said, “We have taken a serious note of the incident and will conduct a probe into the entire episode.” When contacted, Jaswinder Singh Deenpur, manager, Golden Temple, said he had conducted a probe into the incident. Defending the employees who gave the siropa to Chadha, he claimed, “The employees did not honour him with a ‘siropa’, but the ‘siropa’ was given to his wife by hand. His wife had placed the siropa around his neck.”