Amritsar (Punjab): Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday paid obeisance at the Secretariat of Sri Akal Takht Sahib and appeared before the Sikh high priests (Singh Sahiban) to clarify his stand amid recent controversies.
Addressing the media after his appearance, CM Mann said he came before the Akal Takht as a humble Sikh and asserted that he neither has the authority nor the intention to challenge the supremacy of Sri Akal Takht Sahib. He emphasised that Sri Akal Takht Sahib is the highest temporal seat of Sikhs and commands his utmost respect.
The Chief Minister said his presence before the Singh Sahiban was guided by faith, humility and adherence to Sikh traditions. He reiterated that questioning the authority of Sri Akal Takht Sahib was never his objective.
CM Mann informed that he had received written records and documentary material related to alleged shortcomings in the functioning of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), including concerns over the utilisation of its funds. He said these documents were formally submitted to the Singh Sahiban for their consideration.
Reacting to a controversial video circulating on social media, the Chief Minister dismissed it as fabricated. He said that in the age of Artificial Intelligence, fake and misleading content can be easily generated. CM Mann added that he is ready to have the video examined by any forensic laboratory to establish the truth.
On the sensitive issue of the alleged disappearance of 328 holy saroops (sacred volumes) of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the Chief Minister maintained that no politics was being played. He appealed to the Singh Sahiban to provide the government with “religious identifiers” of the missing saroops, stating that this would help assist the SGPC in identifying and tracing those outside official records.
CM Mann further said that the Singh Sahiban assured him that all submitted documents would be examined thoroughly. He added that a collective decision would be taken after deliberations by the five Singh Sahiban, following which further directions would be issued.
