Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has written to Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh seeking the immediate restoration of the historic materials removed from the Sikh Reference Library of Sri Darbar Sahib, Amritsar, during June 1984 attack on Sikh Gurdwaras by the Indian Army.
Seeking the minister’s intervention in the matter, the Punjab Chief Minister said a delegation of some representatives of the Sikh Organizations Coordinate Committee from the United Kingdom met him recently to discuss some issues of concern to Resident Indians and Sikh Diaspora of UK. The subject of the material taken from the Sikh Reference Library was among them.
The Sikh Reference Library inside the Darbar Sahib complex in Amritsar
The Punjab Government was already considering these issues raised by the delegation at appropriate levels, but the matter of restoration of the historic material to Sri Darbar Sahib required the urgent intervention of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, Amarinder Singh said in his letter.
Punjab CM Capt. Amarinder Singh [File Photo]
The Chief Minister pointed out that most of the historic original valuable materials of Sikhism were taken away by the Indian forces in June 1984, and no account of that had been given so far. The Sikh community had been raising this matter time and again.
Even the Punjab government had been requesting the Government of India to intervene to ensure that these historic materials, wherever available, should be restored to Sri Darbar Sahib, Amritsar, he wrote.
The Chief Minister sought Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s interference in the matter to sort out the issue at the earliest, saying it would go a long way in meeting the long-pending demand of the community. He also extended all assistance and cooperation that may be required by the Government of India to resolve the matter.