States » NorthPosted at: Oct 12 2026 12:15AM


SPECIAL | Bangla Sahib row revives 2023 Punjab police firing controversy; SGPC's 23 unanswered questions put Mann govt under scrutiny

Chandigarh, Oct 11 (UNI) The escalating controversy over Delhi Police personnel allegedly entering Gurdwara Bangla Sahib wearing shoes has brought a three-year-old Punjab police operation back under scrutiny, raising questions about the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) response to allegations of violations of religious sanctity under its own government.
A review of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee's (SGPC) January 2024 inquiry findings reveals that a police operation at Gurdwara Akal Bunga Sahib in Sultanpur Lodhi on November 23, 2023, had triggered allegations far more extensive than a dispute over footwear, including claims that police fired more than 1,000 rounds, used tear gas and entered the religious premises wearing shoes while Akhand Path was underway.
The inquiry committee had directly held Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who also held the Home portfolio, responsible for the police operation. It further alleged that senior district officials failed to respond to 23 written questions concerning the incident.
The findings, publicly released on January 8, 2024, were not judicial conclusions. However, their renewed examination against the backdrop of the Bangla Sahib controversy raises a significant question: what action, if any, did the Punjab government take on the allegations, and were the inquiry committee's unanswered questions subsequently addressed?
The latest controversy erupted on October 10 after videos circulated showing Delhi Police personnel wearing shoes in a passage within the Gurdwara Bangla Sahib complex during demonstrations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
AAP leaders, including Mann, condemned the police action, alleging that officers had violated Sikh religious traditions by entering the shrine wearing shoes.
Delhi Police disputed the allegation, saying its personnel were using a common passage through which devotees approach the designated footwear-removal point before entering the place of worship.
In its clarification, Delhi Police said officers were seen "walking in the common passage" used by devotees.
"The process is the same for all devotees coming to Gurdwara," the police said, accusing those circulating the video of acting with malicious intent.
The clarification did not establish that police had remained entirely outside the gurdwara complex. It distinguished the common passage from the inner place of worship, a distinction central to the dispute.
The matter took another turn on Sunday when Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) president Harmeet Singh Kalka filed a formal complaint with Delhi Police against AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal and his associates.
Kalka accused them of circulating misleading videos and attempting to damage the reputation of the gurdwara and its management. The committee also objected to protesters allegedly carrying political placards and raising slogans inside the religious premises.
Kalka acknowledged that police personnel had used a passage within the complex and had not entered the Darbar Hall. However, he maintained that uniformed police personnel should not have entered the premises.
His complaint has added another dimension to the controversy, with questions now being raised about both the conduct of protesters and the police response.
The 2023 incident that has returned to focus
On November 23, 2023, Punjab Police launched an operation at Gurdwara Akal Bunga Sahib in Sultanpur Lodhi, Kapurthala district, amid a dispute between two Nihang Sikh factions over control of the religious institution.
The confrontation resulted in gunfire, killing a Home Guard constable and injuring police personnel.
Punjab Police alleged that members of a Nihang faction had opened fire. The incident subsequently prompted the SGPC to examine the circumstances of the operation and allegations that the sanctity of the gurdwara had been violated.
The inquiry committee recorded statements and examined video material before submitting its findings.
On January 8, 2024, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami publicly accused the state government of responsibility for the police action.
"The police action looked pre-planned before Prakash Gurpurb of Sri Guru Nanak Dev," Dhami said while presenting the findings.
He further alleged that there had been no justification for the firing and use of tear gas when there was no indication of an immediate confrontation inside the gurdwara.
"It is clear from the statements recorded by the probe panel and the video documents found that the police fired more than a thousand bullets," Dhami said.
The SGPC inquiry also alleged that the police operation disrupted religious proceedings and that personnel entered the premises wearing shoes.
These findings represented the SGPC committee's account of the incident and were disputed in the broader context of the police confrontation. They did not establish individual criminal liability.
Among the most consequential aspects of the SGPC findings was its allegation that the Kapurthala district administration failed to cooperate with the inquiry.
Dhami said the Deputy Commissioner and Senior Superintendent of Police had been sent 23 written questions but had not provided answers.
"The Deputy Commissioner and SSP of Kapurthala did not cooperate in the probe," Dhami alleged.
The SGPC subsequently forwarded its findings to the Jathedar of Akal Takht Sahib for consideration.
The questions surrounding the operation remain relevant to any assessment of government accountability: who authorised the police intervention, what circumstances justified the use of firearms and tear gas, how were competing accounts of the shooting investigated, and what action followed the allegations of violations of religious protocol?
The publicly available material reviewed for this report does not establish whether all 23 questions were subsequently answered or whether any final disciplinary findings were issued against police personnel.
That absence of a verified final account should not be confused with proof that the government deliberately concealed the incident. The operation and the SGPC findings were publicly reported at the time.
Nevertheless, the record warrants renewed examination because the AAP leadership is now demanding accountability from Delhi Police over a separate controversy involving religious sanctity.
Two incidents, one question of accountability
The Bangla Sahib incident and the Akal Bunga Sahib operation are not identical.
The Delhi controversy arose during political demonstrations and centres on the movement of police personnel within a religious complex, the circulation of video footage and the conduct of protesters.
The Punjab incident involved an armed confrontation between Nihang factions and police, resulting in a fatality and allegations of excessive force.
But the principle connecting the two controversies is whether police conduct at religious institutions is examined transparently and consistently, irrespective of the political party governing the state.
The SGPC's findings were serious enough to attribute responsibility to the Punjab Chief Minister, yet the status of the final government response to those findings remains a matter requiring clarification.
AAP leaders have demanded answers from Delhi Police over the Bangla Sahib incident. The same standard of public accountability raises questions for the Mann administration about the 2023 operation.
The Punjab government could address those questions by placing on record the final status of the police investigation, its response to the SGPC's allegations, any action taken against officials, and the fate of the 23 written questions.
Similarly, the Delhi authorities and gurdwara management could establish the precise route taken by police personnel and whether the protesters' activities complied with the institution's rules.
The filing of a complaint against Kejriwal and his associates does not establish wrongdoing, just as the SGPC's allegations concerning the 2023 operation do not constitute a judicial finding against Mann or police officials.
What the two controversies demonstrate is the need for a consistent, evidence-based examination of allegations involving the sanctity of Sikh religious institutions.
The revival of the Sultanpur Lodhi case, nearly three years after the police operation, places an unresolved question of public accountability alongside the present political confrontation: whether the Punjab government's final response to the SGPC's serious allegations has ever been fully explained to the public. UNI NB SS
Tags: #SPECIAL | Bangla Sahib row revives 2023 Punjab police firing controversy; SGPC's 23 unanswered questions put Mann govt under scrutiny
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