SGPC to elect new president, office bearers on November 3

Amritsar, Oct 13 (PTI) The General House meeting of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee has been convened for November 3 to hold the annual election for the post of president and other office-bearers, said SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami on Monday.

Dhami made the announcement after a meeting of the SGPC's executive committee here.

He said that the General House will convene where elections for the president, senior vice-president, junior vice-president, general secretary, and executive committee members will be conducted.

Sharing details of the decisions taken in the meeting, he said that the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur will be commemorated from November 23 to 29 at Sri Anandpur Sahib, with the main event scheduled for November 25.

He added that a 'nagar kirtan' from Gurdwara Matan Sahib (Srinagar) will also be organized, for which coordination will be done with the lieutenant governor and chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, as well as local Sikh leaders.

Dhami stated that interfaith meetings will also be held with religious leaders from Hindu and other faiths to involve them in the commemorative events.

He said the SGPC continued its relief services in flood-affected areas, and the executive committee reviewed the ongoing operations.

Initially, the SGPC provided 'langar', essential supplies, medical aid, and diesel, and will now begin distributing certified quality wheat seeds to affected farmers.

Relief centres have been set up at Gurdwara Sri Darbar Sahib Dera Baba Nanak, Gurdwara Baba Budha Ji Ramdas, Gurdwara Sri Ber Sahib Sultanpur Lodhi, and Gurdwara Sri Jamni Sahib Bajidpur (Ferozepur).

Farmers owning less than 10 acres are encouraged to register their names at these centres to receive timely seed assistance.

Dhami said that lists of gurdwaras affected by waterlogging are being compiled through SGPC preachers, and Rs 50,000 each will be disbursed shortly to those gurdwaras as financial aid.

Referring to the issue of artificial intelligence-generated anti-Sikh content, he said that the SGPC has approved a policy framework to tackle such cases.

He said anyone creating or sharing videos that disrespect 'Gurbani', Sikh history, religious symbols, or gurdwaras will face strict legal action.

The SGPC will engage cybercrime and internet law experts for this purpose.

He said a digital task force will also be constituted to counter such anti-Sikh activities, comprising representatives from the SGPC internet department, IT wing, Sri Guru Granth Sahib World University (Sri Fatehgarh Sahib), Khalsa College Patiala, Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College Ludhiana, and Baba Banda Singh Bahadar Engineering College, Sri Fatehgarh Sahib.

He said the SGPC will also collaborate with major AI technology companies to ensure that objectionable content related to Sikh faith and principles is restricted online.

Furthermore, a digital data bank containing authentic Gurbani, Sikh principles, history, and code of conduct would be developed to ensure the availability of verified online information.

The SGPC president also urged state governments to enact punitive laws against AI-generated religiously offensive content and appealed to the Sikh 'Sangat' not to share such videos or materials on social media rather report them on concerned platforms. PTI JMS CHS KVK KVK