The special investigation team (SIT) probing the “missing saroops” case had to return empty-handed from the Chandigarh office of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Wednesday as it reached a day in advance to secure the records.
Akal Takht officiating Jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargaj had asked the SIT to take possession of the requisite records in the presence of SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami on January 29.
Will come again: Patiala SP (D)
Patiala SP (D) Gurbans Singh Bains, who’s one of the SIT members and came to collect the records, refrained from admitting any lack of communication with the SGPC. He said the record could not be procured today.
“The record wasn’t given to us today but the official assured us that it will be provided tomorrow. So, we will come again,” he said.
SGPC calls it an ‘eyewash’
Meanwhile, the SGPC claimed that it was just an “eyewash” as the special investigation team wanted to send an impression that the Sikh body “was not cooperating” in the investigation.
Gurpreet Singh Jhabbar, spokesperson for the SGPC, said the Sikh body was not taken into the loop by the SIT before arriving at its office in Chandigarh.
“The SIT officials in Amritsar were informed that the records could be procured tomorrow from the Chandigarh office, then what was the point of sending the team a day in advance,” he asked.
The SIT members’ meeting with SGPC secretary Lakhvir Singh here lasted for around half an hour.
When asked about the SIT’s alleged “misinformation” about the saroops allegedly traced to a shrine in Banga, Bains said, “Nothing can be revealed at this platform.”
Govt U-turn on SIT’s claim of tracing 139 of the 328 “missing saroops”
The government had to take the U-turn on SIT’s claim of tracing 139 of the 328 “missing saroops” to Rasokhana Shri Nabh Kanwal Raja Sahib located in Banga.
Later, Finance Minister harpal Cheema said was no discrepancy in the records and it was miscommunicated.
Partap Singh, secretary of the SGPC, claimed that for the past a few days, he had been telling the SIT members to fix a day to collect the records they had sought.
“As per directions of the Akal Takht, the requisite record was to be provided to them at the Chandigarh office in the presence of SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami. So, we had to make an arrangement accordingly. Of three days (January 27, 28 and 29), January 29 was finalised,” he said.
Former apex gurdwara panel auditor Satinder Singh and ex-assistant supervisor Kanwaljit Singh had been arrested in the case, following which the SIT on January 13 approached the SGPC offices in Amritsar and Chandigarh and submitted request letters to get the records of the Guru Granth Sahib saroops published and dispatched from the Sikh body’s publication department