SGPC Was Built On Sikh Community’s Sacrifices & Guru Nanak Naam Leva Sangat’s Contributions; Precisely Why People Have Right To Ask Questions: Baltej Pannu
Questions Are Being Raised To Those Misusing Their Positions, Not Against Institution: Baltej Pannu
Make Woman’s ₹1 Lakh Assistance Application Public With Identity Protected: Baltej Pannu
Fact-Finding Committee Must Establish Who Booked Rooms & Facilitated Stay: Baltej Pannu
Why Are Sukhbir Badal, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Bikram Singh Majithia And Opposition Silent? Baltej Pannu
CHANDIGARH; 6th October 2026:
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab Media In-charge Baltej Pannu on Tuesday questioned Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) President Harjinder Singh Dhami over his response to the controversy surrounding a Bahrain woman’s stay at an SGPC sarai in Sri Anandpur Sahib, asserting that nobody was attacking the SGPC as an institution and that the questions being raised were directed at those responsible for running it and anyone who may have misused their positions.
Addressing a press conference,AAP Punjab Media In-charge Baltej Pannu categorically stated, “There is no attack on the institution (SGPC). This is about asking questions to the people who are running it. Those who have the responsibility of running an institution must also be accountable for what happens under their watch.”
The AAP Punjab Media In-charge affirmed the SGPC did not belong to any individual but to the entire Sikh community, which had made sacrifices to establish and run the institution. “The institution is not Harjinder Singh Dhami’s. It belongs to the entire Sikh community,” he said, adding that questioning those holding positions of responsibility was necessary to protect the institution rather than damage it.
He questioned why Harjinder Singh Dhami had not clarified who recommended the booking of a room for the woman at the Amritsar sarai when she visited. “If the SGPC has records of the rooms in which she stayed at Sri Anandpur Sahib and Amritsar, then those records should also establish who booked those rooms and under whose recommendation. Why has this basic question not been answered?” he asked.
“If someone has made a mistake, pointing it out does not mean damaging the institution. Those who are responsible for running an institution must answer questions about its functioning,” Baltej Pannu said.
Baltej Pannu also demanded that Harjinder Singh Dhami make public the application submitted by the woman seeking ₹1 lakh in cancer-related assistance, after removing her name and other personal details if necessary. “What medical documents were submitted with the application? Who recommended the assistance? Why was treatment sought elsewhere when the SGPC itself runs hospitals, including Guru Ram Das Hospital? The complete record can help answer these questions,” he said.
“If they have nothing to hide, make the application public after protecting the woman’s identity. Let the facts speak for themselves,” Baltej Pannu said.
Baltej Pannu said there appeared to be an attempt to arrive at the “usual conclusion” that the woman was mentally disturbed and questioned whether this was being used to avoid answering substantive questions. “Whether someone is mentally disturbed or not does not answer who booked the rooms, who recommended the bookings, who facilitated the stay, what vehicles were used and what assistance was sought. These are separate questions and they require factual answers,” he said.
Questioning the 15-day fact-finding exercise ordered by the SGPC, Baltej Pannu asked whether the committee had questioned the manager, staff and other people connected with the matter, examined vehicle movement records, identified drivers and checked who made the bookings at different sarais. “Did the committee question the manager? Did it question the staff? Did it speak to other people connected with the matter? Did it examine vehicle records? Did it identify the drivers? Did it check who made the bookings at different sarais?” he asked.
“Merely checking a few sarai registers cannot answer the larger questions. The fact-finding exercise should establish why the woman remained there for so long and who facilitated her stay,” Baltej Pannu said.
Baltej Pannu also questioned why the SGPC had maintained that the woman was not officially provided a vehicle or employee while acknowledging that rooms were kept reserved for her. “If no vehicle or employee was officially provided, then vehicle movement records, driver details and booking records can help establish what actually happened. Why should these details be treated as a separate issue?” he asked.
Referring to statements made by Amarjit Singh Chawla regarding the driver, the AAP Punjab Media In-charge said such information should have been examined by the fact-finding committee instead of being dismissed as a “separate issue”. “Amarjit Singh Chawla has spoken about the driver. If such information exists, the committee should examine it. The purpose of a fact-finding exercise is to establish facts, not to decide which facts are convenient and which are inconvenient,” he said.
On SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami’s proposal for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry, Baltej Pannu questioned the track record of the agency and said Harjinder Singh Dhami had cited several cases allegedly solved by the CBI but had not mentioned the 2015 sacrilege cases. “Harjinder Singh Dhami has cited several cases that were solved by the CBI, but why did he not mention the 2015 sacrilege cases? The CBI had earlier filed a closure report in that case,” he said.
“If a CBI inquiry is being proposed, then its complete record must also be discussed. People have a right to ask what confidence they should place in another inquiry without addressing what happened in the earlier cases,” Baltej Pannu said.
Baltej Pannu also questioned the silence of senior Akali leaders Sukhbir Badal, Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Bikram Singh Majithia, as well as BJP and Congress leaders, over the controversy. “If these leaders claim to be concerned about Sikh institutions, why are Sukhbir Singh Badal, Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Bikram Singh Majithia silent when serious questions are being raised about the functioning of the SGPC?” he asked.
“Those who claim to be concerned about Sikh institutions should also answer questions concerning their functioning and accountability,” Baltej Pannu said.
Rejecting SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami’s allegation that questions being raised through the media and social media amounted to an attack on the institution, Baltej Pannu reiterated that the SGPC was above any individual office-holder. “The institution is not Harjinder Singh Dhami’s. It belongs to the entire Sikh community. Questioning those holding positions of responsibility is necessary to protect the institution, not to damage it,” he said.
Baltej Pannu said the SGPC was a highly respected institution built through the sacrifices of the Sikh community and the contributions of Guru Nanak Naam Leva Sangat. “The SGPC has been built through the sacrifices of the Sikh community. That is precisely why people have the right to ask questions when something happens within an institution that holds such immense importance for the Sikh community,” he said.
Referring to the traditional role of sarais, Baltej Pannu said they were meant to provide a safe place for devotees and their families to stay. “When questions arise about what happened at a sacred place like Sri Anandpur Sahib, it naturally creates concern, particularly among the younger generation. We cannot simply tell people not to ask questions. We have to answer them with facts,” he said.
Baltej Pannu said he respected Harjinder Singh Dhami and every individual personally but maintained that holding an important office also brought responsibility. “I respect Harjinder Singh Dhami and every individual personally. But when you hold an important office, that office also brings responsibility. If you do not know who took a room, how many times the room was taken and what happened under your watch, then you have to answer questions about your responsibility,” he said.
Baltej Pannu also referred to documents previously submitted to the SGPC and urged Harjinder Singh Dhami to reopen and examine the material. “These documents contain information concerning irregularities. If the SGPC continues to avoid answering these questions, then more details can be made public. It would be better for Harjinder Singh Dhami to examine the documents and answer the questions on facts,” he said.
Baltej Pannu said AAP respected the SGPC precisely because it was an institution of the Sikh community. “We bow our heads before Guru Granth Sahib with full faith and respect. That is why it hurts to see the institution being taken to a point where such questions are being raised,” he said.
“The purpose is not to damage the SGPC. The purpose is to ensure accountability and protect the dignity of the institution. Harjinder Singh Dhami should answer the questions with facts and records rather than portraying scrutiny of those running the institution as an attack on the institution,” Baltej Pannu said.
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