https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/s ... 2023-04-18
No discrimination: SGPC clarifies after girl with Tricolour on face barred from Golden Temple
The Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) apologised after a girl was allegedly denied entry into the Golden Temple.
By Manjeet Sehgal: The Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC), the authority which manages Sikh shrines in India, apologised to a girl who was allegedly not allowed to enter the Golden Temple as she had a Tricolour painted on her face.
The statement by the SGPC comes in the wake of a massive controversy after one of the staffers outside the temple was heard saying to the girl, "It isn't India, it is Punjab."
Reacting to the controversy, the general secretary of the SGPC, Gurcharan Singh Grewal, said there was no discrimination against devotees, and that people from any region, caste, or religion were welcome to pay obeisance.
"The staffer was provoked. Being the general secretary of the SGPC, I apologise in case the devotee faced misbehaviour. However, the motive of trolls on social media was shameful," said Gurcharan Singh.
While the general secretary tended his apology, the guard Sarabjit Singh, who had passed the controversial statement, remained unapologetic.
"She was wearing a skirt. I told her about dignity and asked her to cover her body. Legs should be completely covered. Everybody is welcome at Harmandar Sahib (Golden Temple) but with dignity," said Sabjit Singh in a video.
SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami said, "Conversation between devotee and Sewadar should not be portrayed negatively. I strongly condemn the narrative being created against the Sikhs on social media about the viral conversation of a female devotee."
While the SGPC authorities avoided commenting on the “Punjab not India remark”, senior BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa reacted sharply to the controversy.
The BJP leader said, "Behaviour of Sewadar (staffer) with a devotee wasn't appropriate”.
“If there was something objectionable on her part, Sewadar should have handled it politely. His comment was highly condemnable. The SGPC should train its staff that attends visitors," he added.
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https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/c ... 01316.html
On Monday, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami had also condemned the narrative being created against the Sikhs on social media and asked devotees to follow the Maryada (code of conduct).
Days after a girl was allegedly barred entry into Harmandar Sahib (Golden Temple) in Punjab’s Amritsar as she had a Tricolour painted on her face, she and her father apologised for their act and pleaded for peace, on Wednesday.
They said this while speaking to a local news portal at their residence in Ambala’s Naraingarh sub-division, three days after the controversy.
The incident and the conversation of the duo with a sewadar that followed, was also recorded on a video and had since gone viral on social media, leading to backlash.
Expressing regret, the girl said, “The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) have apologised to us already and I feel hurt when such elderly people do so.... I’m sorry for the bad words and the wrong act.”
Her father said that on Saturday, they had visited Wagah Border in Amritsar and then headed to the Golden Temple.
“The video got leaked mistakenly from my daughter, but we were not in favour for sharing it with anyone. Following the incident, the committee members attended us respectfully. I appeal everyone to end this here. I apologise to the sewadar, the committee and everyone for my daughter’s mistake,” he added.
However, both refused to divulge the details on why exactly she was disallowed to enter and on the different narratives like the girl’s attire or procession of tobacco, being made out.
Toning it down further, the man said, “There was nothing in connection with tobacco and neither I was frisked. Rather, they showed us different tobacco products, explaining how devotees carry them and they are removed.”
He appealed to social media users to end the issue for the sake of communal harmony and brotherhood.
On Monday, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami had also condemned the narrative being created against the Sikhs on social media and asked devotees to follow the Maryada (code of conduct).
via@ani_digital·7h