Chandigarh: Punjab Police have arrested Satinder Singh Kohli, a former chartered accountant of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), in connection with the sensitive case involving the disappearance of 328 sacred saroops of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. The arrest was made from a hotel in Chandigarh and is being seen as a major breakthrough in the investigation being conducted by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Following Kohli’s arrest, former Punjab cabinet minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal issued a strong statement, calling the development the first concrete step towards justice. Dhaliwal said that Sikh sangat had been waiting for accountability in the matter for the past three years and that the latest action reflected serious progress in the court-monitored probe.
Dhaliwal claimed that, based on evidence gathered so far, Satinder Singh Kohli is being viewed as a key accused in the case. He said the issue had remained unresolved for years despite repeated protests and demands for action by Sikh organisations and devotees, and asserted that the investigation was now moving in the right direction.
Stating that no one would be spared in matters related to the sanctity of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Dhaliwal assured that all those named in the case would be brought to justice. He said that 16 former SGPC officials and employees have been named during the course of the investigation and vowed that each of them would face legal consequences. According to him, Kohli’s arrest marks only the beginning and more revelations are expected in the coming days.
The issue of missing saroops first surfaced in 2020, when an initial assessment pointed to the disappearance of 267 sacred volumes. However, a probe committee later constituted by Sri Akal Takht Sahib revised the figure to 328, deepening the gravity of the matter. The findings led to widespread outrage within the Sikh community and intensified demands for accountability.
With the arrest now made, Sikh organisations and devotees are closely watching the next steps in the investigation. The case is expected to remain at the centre of religious and political discourse in Punjab in the days ahead.
