HSGPC supporters march to take over control of gurudwaras

To prevent possible violence, police in Haryana today prevented an attempted march of Haryana Sikh Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee supporters and leaders to gurudwaras in Kurukshetra to wrest control from Amritsar-based SGPC.
"A large group of Sikhs is squatting near the Gurdwara Chhevin Patshahi. They were moving to the site to take over control of the shrine. A posse of police has been deployed in the area to prevent any untoward incident. We are monitoring the situation closely," Kurukshetra's Superintendent of Police, Ashwin Shenvi said.
He, however, said there was no clash between HSGPC supporters and Amritsar-based SGPC supporters.
Senior HSGPC leader Didar Singh Nalwi, one of the prominent leaders spearheading the campaign for a separate SGPC for Haryana, told PTI that a general body meeting of the committee was held in Kurukshetra today.

"The meeting was held at Dera Kar Sewa, Kurukshetra. A large number of Sikhs gathered there as they were keen to know what would be the meeting's outcome.
Later on, a large congregation of Sikhs, which had gathered, alleged that SGPC and SAD supporters from Punjab are forcibly occuyping the gurudwaras despite Haryana enacting a law for a separate body.

"The Sikh Sangat said the march to the gurudwara started but police stopped us near the shrine. Over 600 Sikhs are sitting there now," Nalwi said.
Senior police officials called HSGPC leaders for a meeting in Kurukshetra to defuse the situation and prevent any possible flare-up between the HSGPC and SGPC and SAD supporters, official sources said.

Meanwhile, with newly formed separate Gurudwara Committee in Haryana moving ahead to take control of the shrines, Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today alleged "vicious efforts" of the Congress government in Haryana to wrest control of gurdwaras would not be tolerated.
Badal told reporters in Amritsar that he has asked the Centre to take suitable steps to prevent the atmosphere from vitiating further as the Haryana SGPC leaders are allegedly issuing statements of dire consequences if Amritsar-based SGPC fails to vacate the shrines in Haryana.
Amritsar-based SGPC, which is the apex religious body of Sikhs, holds control of gurudwaras in Haryana.

On Thursday, the executive committee of HSGPC held its meeting held at Kaithal, Haryana, where the committee's senior leader Jagdish Singh Jhinda warned the Sikh community of Haryana will not tolerate "forcible occupation of the gurudwaras and would not mind taking any step to get these evacuated.