Political News
Calcutta opposes Sikh Genocide 1984 memorial; He was instrumental getting signs of June 1984 vanished from Darbar Sahib complex
June 16, 2013 | By Sikh Siyasat Bureau
Amritsar/ Chandigarh (June 16, 2013): According to certain media reports a former secretary of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) Manjit Singh Calcutta has also raised objections against the construction of the Sikh Genocide 1984 memorial inside the historic Gurdwara Rakabganj Sahib Complex in New Delhi.
Previously, former DSGMC President Paramjit Singh Sarna was opposing the memorial. Sarna has even moved a petition in Delhi High Court against the construction of memorial for victims of Sikh genocide 1984.
Manjeet Singh Calcutta
After Sarna, Calcutta has also contended that building a memorial inside a Gurdwara complex is against the Sikh traditions and ethics.
According to Hindustan Times (HT): “[i]n a communique addressed to Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh on Saturday (June 15, 2013), Calcutta sought to support his contentions with numerous instances in the Sikh history, wherein memorials dedicated to Sikh martyrs were never built within the complexes of historic shrines”.
According to media reports Manjit Singh Calcutta has quoted some instances where no memorial was built by the Sikhs, and he maintained that there was no traditions in Sikhs to built memorials inside the Gurdwara complexes.
Calcutta reportedly said that: “[t]here are no memorials inside the Golden Temple complex to Jassa Singh Ahluwalia and Baba Gurbaksh Singh, both of whom attained martyrdom while defending this shrine. The memorial, which is a gurdwara, in the memory of Baba Gurbaksh Singh, was constructed outside the premises of the Golden Temple complex. It was only after 1984 when the complex boundary behind the Akal Takht was expanded that the shrines of Baba Gurbaksh Singh became a part of the shrine complex”.
Calcutta’s contentions are unfounded and misleading, as there are many Gurdwaras itself in form of memorials, then how the question of having a tradition of not building memorials inside Gurdwara Sahib complex could arise?
Gurdwaras at Kahnuwan (near Gurdaspur) and Kup-Rohira (near Malerkotla) are build in the memory of two eighteenth century Ghallugharas holocausts of Sikhs.
Moreover, Baba Deep Singh Ji’s memorial is there in the Darbar Sahib Parikarma (complex). Recently, Gurdwara Yaadgaar Shaheedan is built as a memorial for martyrs of June 1984 inside Darbar Sahib complex.
It must be remembered that after the June 1984 attack of Indian army on Sri Darbar Sahib Complex, Manjeet Singh Calcutta was instrumental in having the signs of the attack vanished from the complex.
It is notable that after June 1984 the SGPC had adopted a resolution to preserve the signs of destruction done by Indian army during the armed attack; but Manjit Singh Calcutta, who was not a member of official of SGPC but was close of Sidharth Shankar Ray, arranged a meeting of SGPC members with Indian authorities where is was decided that all signs of June 1984 attack would be vanished. Therefore Calcutta’s opposition to Sikh genocide memorial is also being viewed as continuation of his anti-Sikh activities.
Related Video:
Why Saka ’84 Memorial after 28 years – How State & SGPC destroyed signs [English Subtitles]
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Related Topics: Manjit Singh Calcutta, November 1984 Memorial, SGPC
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