SGPC expresses 'concern' over Trudeau's allegations on Nijjar's killing

Amritsar, Sep 25 (IANS) The executive meeting of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) held here in Punjab on Monday expressed concern over the allegations levelled by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in his country's Parliament of the involvement of officials of Indian agencies in the murder case of Khaistan-backer Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who used to reside in Canada.

In a special resolution passed in the executive meeting presided over by SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami, it has been said that the statement given by the Prime Minister in Parliament of any country "is not understood as common, rather considered to be fact-based within the scope of the dignity of the concerned country’s constitution". 

"Everything said by the Prime Minister in Parliament cannot be rejected easily. The truth of the allegations made by the Prime Minister of Canada against the Indian agencies should be brought to the light of the people through a sincere approach by both the countries by going beyond politics. If this case is suppressed only because of politics, it will be considered as injustice to human rights." 

The resolution further strongly condemned the hate propaganda being spread against Sikhs and Punjab out of this entire phenomenon on the mainstream media and social media platforms openly. 

It is said that the India-Canada issue has been deliberately focused by a large part of the media only on character assassination of Sikhs. 

Through the resolution, the SGPC executive demanded from the government of India to take this issue seriously and take action against those who tarnish the image of Sikhs. 

It was also clarified that the Sikh community respects all religion and does not hold enmity against anyone. 

"Some people are using the current situation as a weapon to create divisions among communities, which should be stopped immediately." 

The SGPC executive also urged the Central government to look into this matter. 

It was said that action should be taken against the forces which are tarnishing the image of Sikhs. 

"Appropriate steps should be taken to end the growing mistrust among the Sikhs," the resolution said.

Apart from this special resolution, the SGPC executive took many other decisions and also discussed the matters of different departments. 

In a resolution, a decision was made to specially honour the lawyers who pursued the cases of the Sikhs who were lodged in the Jodhpur Jail as well as those who assisted them following the June 1984 military attack on Sri Akal Takht Sahib. 

A decision was also made to honour young Sikh Sidakdeep Singh, a resident of Noida, Uttar Pradesh, who has made a Guinness Book Record for having longest kes (unshorn hair) as a male teenager.