The 328 missing saroops issue has been intensified in Punjab after the ruling Aam Aadmi Party criticised the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) alleging non-corporation in the probe. AAP leader Baltej Pannu on Friday asked the SGPC to cooperate with the police investigation in the 328 missing saroops (sacred copies) of Guru Granth Sahib case.
Pannu said while the apex gurdwara body was attempting to project the investigation as an interference in Sikh affairs, the entire Sikh community is well aware that the matter reached the Special Investigation Team (SIT) only because of its gravity and SGPC's prolonged failure to act with honesty and transparency.
The AAP leader further said, "A petition was filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court regarding the missing 328 swaroop of Guru Granth Sahib. The High Court directed further investigation, based on which an FIR was registered and an SIT was formed. The SIT received information that this CA is associated with the Badal family and has also audited SGPC accounts."
What Is The Stand Of SGPC?
The SGPC had earlier called the FIR registration a direct challenge to the Akal Takht and an unwarranted interference in its administrative rights.
Ex-SGPC Auditor Arrested
The AAP said former SGPC auditor arrested in the missing 328 saroops case following investigation, underscoring the Mann government’s position that accountability will follow due process, without fear or favour, and that faith cannot be used to shield wrongdoing.
Police on Thursday arrested chartered accountant Satinder Singh Kohli in connection with the case. Kohli, considered close to Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal, was one of the accused in this case. Kohli's firm had remained an internal auditor of the SGPC. However, its services were terminated in 2020.
What Is 328 Missing Saroops Case?
The police registered a case in Amritsar on December 7 against 16 people, including SGPC's former chief secretary and the CA in connection with the disappearance of saroops in 2020. The FIR has been registered under sections including 295 (injuring or defiling a place of worship or sacred object with intent to insult a religion), 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings), 409 (criminal breach of trust), 465 (forgery) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.
The matter pertaining to the disappearance of saroops from the SGPC's publication house in Amritsar came to light in June 2020, leading to a major controversy at that time. On December 29 last year, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said the FIR was filed after several Sikh bodies demanded a thorough probe to find the missing saroops.
(With PTI inputs)