Punjab Police arrests ex-CA of SGPC in missing saroops case

Chandigarh, Jan 1 (PTI) The Punjab Police arrested a chartered accountant in connection with the 328 missing saroops (sacred copies) of Guru Granth Sahib case, officials said on Thursday.

Satinder Singh Kohli, who served as the CA of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), was arrested from Chandigarh, they said.

The arrest was made nearly three weeks after the police registered a case in Amritsar on December 7 against 16 people, including SGPC's former chief secretary and the CA in connection with the disappearance of saroops in 2020.

The matter pertaining to the disappearance of saroops from the SGPC's publication house in Amritsar came to light in June 2020, leading to a major controversy at that time.

On December 29 last year, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said the FIR was filed after several Sikh bodies demanded a thorough probe to find the missing saroops.

Reacting to the Kohli's arrest, Punjab AAP chief spokesperson and MLA Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal on Thursday said the police investigation has entered a critical phase with concrete action on the ground.

"Today is a very big achievement for Sikh sangat, one that they have been waiting for over the last four to five years," Dhaliwal said.

The ruling party leader said the Special Investigation Team arrested Kohli from a hotel in Chandigarh.

"He is the main accused in the missing saroops case and was also serving as the CA of the SGPC at the time," said Dhaliwal.

He said Sikh 'sangat' had been holding protests to demand accountability.

"For several years, Sikh 'sangat' has been raising their voice and staging protests for justice in this case. A major mobilisation was also led under the leadership of renowned kirtankar (devotional singer) Bhai Baldev Singh Wadala. This is the first arrest in the case and that too of the main accused, which makes it all the more significant," he said.

Dhaliwal assured strict action against every person involved.

"I want to assure the Sikh sangat that all 16 accused who are responsible for making the sacred saroops of Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji go missing will be arrested and sent behind bars. This is the firm commitment of the Punjab government," he asserted.

AAP leader Baltej Pannu said the investigation was initiated following the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court while hearing a petition related to the disappearance of 328 sacred 'saroops'.

"The high court had directed an investigation into the matter, after which the Punjab Police registered an FIR against 16 individuals and constituted a Special Investigation Team to probe the case," Pannu said.

"Look Out Circulars have been issued against all 16 named accused. Arrest warrant against Satinder Singh Kohli had already been issued, and he was hiding in a hotel in Chandigarh from where he has now been arrested," he stated.

Meanwhile, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami accused the AAP government of playing politics over the issue.

He alleged that the government is adopting a dual policy and playing with Sikh sentiments.

In a statement, Dhami said while incidents of sacrilege have been continuously coming to light during the tenure of the Mann government, "deliberate interference" is being made in the administrative affairs of the SGPC to divert public attention from these serious issues.

He alleged that CM Bhagwant Mann is indulging in such politics to "please his political master Arvind Kejriwal and to safeguard his chief ministerial position".

Dhami said the SGPC is an institution elected by the Sikh 'Panth', and by "violating" its independent existence, identity and constitutional sanctity, the Mann government is working under a specific agenda to "weaken" this central institution of the Sikh minority.

He asserted that it is completely unacceptable for any government "to deliberately misrepresent the administrative matters of the SGPC and indulge in opportunistic politics".

The SGPC had earlier called the FIR registration a direct challenge to the Akal Takht and an unwarranted interference in its administrative rights. PTI CHS KVK KVK