The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday demanded Union home minister Amit Shah’s resignation over the Delhi Police’s alleged action of entering the premises of Gurdwara Bangla Sahib in New Delhi and forcibly removing protesters demanding the resignation of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
AAP Punjab media in-charge Baltej Singh Pannu said the detention of protesters in this manner raised serious questions about the central government’s approach.
He claimed that the police action inside Gurdwara Bangla Sahib was particularly disturbing because gurdwaras had traditionally provided shelter and langar to people, irrespective of their religion.
“Who gave these instructions, and why was the sanctity of the gurdwara not respected?” Pannu asked, demanding answers from the home minister.
He alleged that the scale of these detentions may well be remembered in the future as a “Detention Day”, much like the Emergency.
He accused Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal of keeping silent on the incident.
Pannu urged the Akal Takht jathedar to take up the matter with the Union home ministry and demanded accountability from the BJP leadership over the incident.
Mann slams police’s ‘Taliban-like attitude’
Condemning the police action, chief minister Bhagwant Mann alleged that the Delhi Police, with its Taliban-like attitude, entered the shrine bare-headed and wearing shoes on their feet and they trampled its sanctity. “The Sikh community will never forgive the BJP for this shameful act,” he said in a video.
DSGMC accuses AAP of disrupting shrine’s sanctity
The AAP’s attack came amid allegations that the party created a “false narrative” by circulating misleading videos to malign the gurdwara and its management.
The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) approached the Delhi Police with a complaint against AAP leaders, including national convener Arvind Kejriwal, accusing them of disrupting the sanctity of shrine.
“A formal complaint has been filed with DCP, New Delhi, against Kejriwal and his associates over the alleged disruption at Gurdwara Sri Bangla Sahib. Strict action has been sought to protect the sanctity of Guru Ghar from political activities,” DSCMC president Harmeet Singh Kalka posted on X.
Senior advocate and BJP leader HS Phoolka also accused the AAP of attempting to use Gurdwara Bangla Sahib as a centre for protests, alleging that some party members raised slogans and displayed banners inside the gurdwara premises.