Over five years after reports of 328 missing copies of the Guru Granth Sahib surfaced in Punjab, the issue has escalated into a political confrontation between the Aam Aadmi Party government and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. An FIR against 16 individuals, including a former SGPC official, has drawn accusations of interference from both sides. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann defends the probe as a response to Sikh community demands.
The controversy over missing 'Birs'—complete copies of the Guru Granth Sahib—began in 2016 when discrepancies were noted in the SGPC's publication department in Amritsar, the body's sole official source for these sacred texts. A 2020 investigation revealed 328 copies untraceable after printing, with an additional 186 produced without authorization and sold off the records.
On December 7, Punjab Police filed an FIR under sections related to defiling sacred objects, outraging religious feelings, breach of trust, forgery, and conspiracy. Sixteen individuals were named, including former SGPC chief secretary and accountant Satinder Singh Kohli, who was arrested on Thursday. Raids followed on Saturday at 15 locations linked to the accused.
SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami criticized the AAP government for overstepping into the body's administrative domain to score political points. He insisted the matter falls under SGPC jurisdiction, with records held at Akal Takht, and denied personal connections to the accused. On December 28, five jathedars at Akal Takht directed the SGPC to withhold cooperation from police.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann countered that the FIR stemmed from demands by various Sikh organizations for accountability. He accused the SGPC of shielding allies through Akal Takht and failing to locate the missing copies despite directives. Kohli, a known associate of Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal, had been ousted in 2020 over alleged negligence.
This clash fits a pattern of AAP-SGPC friction since the party's 2022 rise in Punjab, including disputes over Gurbani broadcasts and historical commemorations. The Badal family's long influence via SGPC faces challenges, with calls growing for overdue elections to the body's executive, last held in 2011. The AAP's push on this issue comes amid scrutiny over its unfulfilled promises against SAD leaders.
