Amritsar: The investigation into the disappearance of hundreds of sacred Swaroops of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib intensified on Thursday as the Special Investigation Team (SIT) visited the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) office for further inquiry in the case.
Officials associated with the probe are believed to be examining records and questioning staff members linked to the publication department where the alleged irregularities surfaced. The SIT, however, refrained from making any public statement during its visit.
The matter first emerged in 2020 after an internal audit of records from 2015-16 reportedly found that 328 sacred copies of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib were unaccounted for from the SGPC printing press. The issue triggered widespread concern within the Sikh community, following which Sri Akal Takht Sahib constituted a committee to examine the matter.
The inquiry reportedly pointed towards serious administrative lapses and alleged misuse of procedure by certain employees and officials. According to findings submitted earlier, several Swaroops were allegedly distributed to members of the Sangat without maintaining proper documentation, receipts, or records of donations and offerings received in return.
Subsequently, the Punjab government constituted an SIT under the supervision of the Amritsar Police Commissioner to conduct a detailed criminal investigation. An FIR was registered against multiple individuals in connection with the case.
Investigators have so far recovered 169 of the missing Swaroops, while several SGPC officials and employees have already been questioned during the course of the inquiry. Former SGPC accountant Satinder Singh Kohli was also arrested earlier as part of the investigation.
The case has remained sensitive and politically charged, with SGPC leadership accusing the Punjab Police of unnecessary interference in the institution’s internal functioning. SGPC president Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami had recently criticised the SIT for repeatedly seeking official records and documents.
The controversy has also led to tensions between Sikh organisations, with protests and clashes previously reported in Amritsar over demands for strict action against those allegedly responsible for the disappearance of the sacred scriptures.
Authorities stated that the investigation remains ongoing and further questioning and document verification are expected in the coming days.
