CHANDIGARH: The three-member committee of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee (SGPC) on Monday submitted its report on the support taken by Sikh candidates from controversial Dera Sacha Sauda in the Assembly election to Akal Takht (high priest) Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh.
The probe committee members Amarjit Singh Chawla and Gurcharan Singh Grewal handed over the report to Singh in Amritsar. The committee had taken feedback from all 117 constituencies in the State. The report mentioned all candidates of political parties who took Dera's support.
After receiving the report in a sealed cover, Gurbachan Singh said action on the report would be considered in the next meeting of the Takht chiefs after Hola Mohalla.
Interestingly, Hola Mohalla is on March 12 and on March 11 the Assembly results will be declared, the timing of the report is very crucial. The Sikh community might be directed to boycott and not keep any social and religious relations with some Sikhs candidates if they have been found guilty by the committee. This directive can only be passed by the high priest.
It may be mentioned that the SGPC had constituted a 3-member panel to go into the support extended by the controversial Dera Sacha Sauda to the Akali Dal publicly.
The committee had been set up on the directive of Akal Takht. Last month the high priest Gurbachan Singh wrote a letter to the SGPC asking for the list of Sikh candidates who sought the Dera's support.
The matter came to light as the Dera openly supported Shiromani Akali Dal and a few party candidates also openly announced that they would support the Dera in holding religious congregations for its chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim in Punjab.
Sources said that the candidates who took the support of the Dera include Janmeja Singh Sekhon, Jagdeep Singh Nakai, Sikander Singh Maluka, Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu, Dilraj Singh Bhunder, Amit Ratan and Harpreet Singh from SAD.
On May 17, 2007, Akal Takht issued an edict directing social, political and religious boycott of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh and his followers for imitating Guru Gobind Singh. In 2015, the Dera chief was acquitted in the case by a local court.