Missing ‘saroops’ of Guru Granth Sahib: Punjab Police books 16 people
Punjab Police on Sunday, December 7, 2025, registered an FIR in Amritsar against 16 persons, including the former principal secretary of SGPC, in connection with the disappearance of 328 ‘saroops’ (sacred copies) of Guru Granth Sahib in 2020.
According to the official statement, the FIR has been registered at Division-C police station in Amritsar under sections 295 (injuring or defiling a place of worship or sacred object with intent to insult a religion), 295-A (intentional and malicious acts intended to outrage religious sentiments), 409 (criminal breach of trust), 465 (forgery) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.
Among the accused were Roop Singh, former principal secretary of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and Manjit Singh, former secretary of Dharam Parchar Committee.
Others against whom cases have been registered are Gurbachan Singh, Satinder Singh, Nishan Singh, Paramjit Singh, Gurmukh Singh, Jujhar Singh, Baaj Singh, Dalbir Singh, Kamaljit Singh, Kulwant Singh, Jaspreet Singh, Gurbachan Singh, Satinder Singh and Amarjit Singh.
The issue of missing 328 saroops of Guru Granth Sahib from SGPC’s publishing house in Amritsar came to light in June 2020 and sparked a huge controversy at that time.
The incident was alleged to have occurred due to “mishandling” by SGPC staff.
An investigation into the matter was also conducted by the panel appointed by the Akal Takht and many SGPC officials were found guilty of abuse of power.
Meanwhile, Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan said that the State government will not tolerate any act of disrespect. “Our government will not spare anyone who would commit such heinous crimes.” “Guru Sahib ji guided us to protect all religions of the world,” he said.
Singer Bhai Baldev Singh Vadala praised the State government for registering an FIR against people who allegedly desecrated 328 saroops of the Guru Granth Sahib.
Meanwhile, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami strongly condemned the AAP government for what he described as “blatant interference” in Sikh institutions.
His remarks came in response to the government’s claim of supporting certain groups staging a protest over the missing ‘saroop’ issue.
Mr. Dhami alleged that the involvement of government representatives in this long-standing issue and their attempts to issue instructions was purely politically motivated.
He argued that the Punjab government must abandon the illusion that it can run Sikh institutions according to its wishes.
“Qaumi religious institutions belong solely to the Sikh community and any attempts by the government to interfere will not be allowed to succeed,” he said.
Mr. Dhami emphasized that the Sikh Panth knows very well how to preserve the honor and traditions of its religious institutions.
The SGPC chairman stated that the issue of 328 sacred ‘saroops’, in which the government had made a “big mistake by intervening”, was purely an administrative matter of the SGPC.
In his statement, Mr. Dhami said that Akal Takht Sahib itself conducted an investigation into the matter and action was taken by the department based on the findings and recommendations of this report.
The report stated that the report made it clear that the incident was due to financial misconduct by a few employees rather than disrespect.
He questioned the government’s political stance, saying that if all actions have already been completed as per the directives of the Akal Takht, the highest authority of the Sikh community, the government has no right to intervene or politicize the issue.
The SGPC chairman warned the government to immediately stop interfering in Sikh affairs.
“If such actions affecting the sanctity of Sikh institutions and gurdwaras are not stopped, the Punjab government alone will be responsible for the consequences,” he said.
He also appealed to the Jathedar of the Akal Takht Sahib to consider government intervention in matters already resolved as per the decisions of the Akal Takht so that ‘Panthic’ traditions continue to be maintained.
It was published – 08 December 2025 04:40 IST
