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Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Monday launched a sharp attack on the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) and the Shiromani Akali Dal, accusing them of using revered Sikh institutions, including the Sri Akal Takht Sahib, as a shield to evade accountability in the long-pending case of 328 missing saroops of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.

Addressing a press conference, Mann said the entire Sikh Sangat has been living in “anguish and trauma” for years due to the absence of concrete action in a case that strikes at the very core of Sikh faith and collective conscience. He noted that panthic organisations and Sant Samaj have repeatedly demanded accountability and justice, prompting the state government to register an FIR and constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) as part of its moral and constitutional responsibility.

However, the Chief Minister alleged that immediately after these steps, the SGPC—“acting at the behest of its political masters”—began briefing the media and accusing the state government of interfering in religious matters. Mann rejected this charge, pointing out that it was the SGPC itself which had earlier passed resolutions seeking criminal action against those responsible.

Mann recalled that the SGPC president had publicly admitted that “10–12 scams occur daily” within the committee, a statement that, according to him, exposes rampant misuse of Golak money donated by devotees. He further said that in 2020, the SGPC’s interim committee had passed resolutions recommending strict action against erring officials and publishers in the same missing saroops case, but those decisions were never implemented.

The Chief Minister alleged selective inaction to protect influential individuals close to the Akali leadership. He cited the examples of resolutions proposing criminal cases against former chief secretary Dr Roop Singh and others, the termination of services of S.S. Kohli & Associates, and the recovery of 75% of payments made to the firm for alleged professional lapses. “These decisions remain in limbo because the same chartered accountant firm also serves senior Akali leaders,” Mann claimed.

Rejecting the SGPC’s claim that the state government was encroaching upon religious affairs, Mann said the government was merely acting on resolutions already passed by the SGPC itself—something only the state machinery is empowered to do. He accused the SGPC of later retracting its own resolutions to protect “affluent and powerful individuals involved in this grave sin.”

Referring to the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Act, 2008, Mann said that while the Akali government had earlier granted extensive powers to the SGPC over the publication of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, the same leadership was now attempting to give a “religious colour” to a purely accountability-driven exercise aimed at recovering the missing saroops and preventing desecration.

The Chief Minister alleged that the SGPC leadership had been reduced to “mere puppets” of the Akali Dal and was now attempting to invoke the authority of Sri Akal Takht Sahib to stall a fair probe. “They fear the SIT because a thorough investigation will expose uncomfortable truths,” he said, adding that the Punjab government remains committed to ensuring punishment for those responsible, irrespective of political or religious cover.

Mann also questioned the SGPC’s credibility, pointing out that elections to the body have not been held for the past 14 years and that its leadership has failed even to press the Union government on this issue. He said the disappearance of 328 saroops has deeply bruised the psyche of every Sikh.

Aiming for political double standards, the Chief Minister criticised the SGPC for remaining silent after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) allegedly posted cartoons of Sikh Gurus on its official handles. “This silence is politically motivated, as elections approach,” Mann alleged.

Concluding his remarks, Mann said that while the Akali Dal was once known as the party of “lions” at its inception in 1920, its present leadership has reduced it to “dinosaurs” obsessed with power. He accused Akali leaders of compromising Punjab’s interests on key national issues for personal and political gain, while failing to raise Punjab’s concerns before the Centre.