Activists of Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Commitee escorting the culprits to Sri Akal Takht Sahib
Click to View More Images of Above Incident
Amritsar Sahib (KP) – After a long struggle, Panthic activists finally nabbed ‘Chattar Singh Jiwan Singh and Sons’ committing in blasphemous acts. The publishers, based in the holy city Amritsar Sahib, have long been blamed for causing sacrilege to saroops of Guru Granth Sahib Ji by printing and selling them without authorization or proper maintenance.
This unpardonable act was uncovered by volunteers of the Guru Granth Sahib Ji Satkar Committee this past week when over fifty saroops of Guru Granth Sahib Ji were being transported by customers of ‘Chattar Singh Jiwan Singh and Sons’. The van, belonging to Savinder Singh of Delhi, was stopped near Beas. When Singhs approached the driver, they found that the saroops were stacked against each other and no trace of ‘maryada’ (code of conduct) was to be found.
The van was immediately forced to change route back to Amritsar Sahib. Upon reaching the Darbar Sahib complex, Singhs lashed out at the drivers of the van. Two heirs of ‘Chattar Singh Jiwan Singh and Sons’ namely Prabhjit Saini and one person identified as ‘Vicky’ were also brought to Darbar Sahib by Singhs from their shop. Their faces were blackened and then all the perpetrators were locked into a room at Gurdwara Thara Sahib, situated near Akal Takhat Sahib.
Sangat and police also started to gather in large number but no one was in favor of sparing them. " Chattar Singh Jiwan Singh and Sons" have been forced to appear at Akal Takhat Sahib before for causing sacrilege to saroops of Guru Granth Sahib, but despite pleading guilty, the publishers, who make a large profit from selling saroops of Guru Granth Sahib Ji, have continued to ignore the directives of Akal Takhat Sahib and appeals of the Sangat.
Singh Sahib Giani Gurbachan Singh Ji, Head Granthi Harmandir Sahib
Finally the Singhs agreed to hand the culprits over to the police after Singh Sahib Giani Gurbachan Singh Ji, Head Granthi Harmandir Sahib, intervened in the matter. Bhai Kashmir Singh, an activist of Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Committee told Panthic Weekly over the phone that the saroops were being transported to Delhi after being ‘ordered’ by Savinder Singh, an import/export businessman. These types of deals have been finalized in the past, but after finally finding out the exact details of the transaction, the Singhs were able to stop the blasphemous act before it proceeded further.
Jaswinder Singh Advocate, a senior SGPC member, who was given the duty of taking care of the saroops, while talking to the press later, held that the Sikh activists did not do anything wrong when dealing with the workers of ‘ Chattar Singh Jiwan Singh and Sons’. He also praised the efforts of Bhai Amrik Singh, Chief of Damdami Taksal’s third faction, who played a key role in this operation.
Ever since this incident took place, the shop of ‘Chattar Singh Jiwan Singh and Sons’ has remained closed and the owners have gone ‘underground’. It was also brought to the notice of Panthic Weekly that all those originally held, besides the customer Savinder Singh, have been released, although a case has been registered against them. ‘Chattar Singh Jiwan Singh and Sons’ have sent appeals to the Prime Minister, President, Union Home Minister, and several human rights commissions complaining against the acts of the Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Committee.
Members of Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Committee held that along with ‘Chattar Singh Jiwan Singh and Sons’, officials of Akal Takhat Sahib and SGPC were equally responsible as they have failed to implement the hukamnama passed by the Panth helmed by Jathedar Bhai Ranjit Singh Ji.
(Click to Enlarge, Left: HukamNama from Sri Akal Takht Sahib, banning the publication of Guru Granth Sahib Saroops by private firms, Right : Declaring the Chatter Singh Jiwan Singh Publishers as Tankhayeeay)
In light of the incident, a ban has been placed in Amritsar District on publications of saroops of Guru Granth Sahib Ji by private publishers. This ban gives only the SGPC and its authorized publishers the right to print the saroops. This ban will remain active for one month and in the interim, it is expected that the State and the Centre Government will also work on banning printing and sellings of saroops of Guru Granth Sahib by private publishers.
