Will get required material through other sources: Ranjit Singh panel

Representational purpose.

AFTER THE Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) declared that neither its president nor any other SGPC representative would appear before the commission and the body would not submit any record either, the one-man Ranjit Singh Commission on Monday said it would get the required material through other sources.

The commission, which is probing the incidents of desecration, had summoned SGPC president Kirpal Singh Badungar or his representative in connection with the probe into the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib in October 2015 at Bargari village in Faridkot district, following which two protesters died in police firing at Behbal Kalan. Asserting that the September 24, 2015, pardon of Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim by the Akal Takht and its withdrawal had emerged as “one of the relevant factors” for arriving at the finding, the commission has summoned Badungar or his represenative to appear before it on Monday.

Rejecting the “Congress-appointed” commission, SGPC said neither its president nor representative would appear before the commission and SGPC would not submit any record.

In an order passed on Monday, the commission, while pointing out that the SGPC president or his represenative chose not to “assist” the commission by not appearing, said, “In view of the non-cooperative attitude of SGPC, the commission has been deprived of the view of this august body. The commission, on its part, would exercise its option to get all such material through other available sources instead of joining issue with SGPC. The summoned record is in public domain as it was well published in the press and social media. The commission will now have to depend on this unauthenticated record.”

“Instead of assisting the inquiry, SGPC has joined in chorus with politicians to use inappropriate language against the commission,” read the order.

“It is a well-known fact that SGPC is regularly being sued and is sueing different parties in courts of law. Can it claim immunity from appearing? It (SGPC) could easily have detailed representative to suggest measures even if it had any inhibition to produce the summoned record. Till date, no objection is forthcoming for producing the record. Those who are raising objections seem to have no concern about unearthing the acts of sacrilege. No measure appears to have been taken to check incidents of sacrilege which have gone on unabated. Those who did nothing to trace the culprits are making noise when efforts are on to find such culprits,” the commission said.

“Though the commission would have various options to choose from, it will devote itself to the main task assigned to it,” said the commission.

The other options for the commission were issuing summons through bailable warrants. The commission on Monday summoned an inspector through bailable warrant of Rs 5,000 on October 17 in connection with the desecration of Guru Granth Sahib in Moga district which the commission suspects may be linked to the incidents in Faridkot district.