SGPC makes second formal request to Indian President APJ Abul Kalam yesterday to help trace the contents of the Darbar Sahib's Tosha Khana (Treasury) looted by the Indian Army in June 1984



Washington, D.C., Wednesday, September 01, 2004 - When Indian President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam visited the Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) on March 23, 2003, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) had formally sought his help to retrieve the rare manuscripts, books and other historical objet d'art stolen by the murderous Indian Army when it attacked the sacred Sikh religious complex, in June 1984, during which operation thousands of innocent Sikh pilgrims were also murdered. As President Abdul Kalam has done nothing for over five months, since the March request to him, some angry SGPC members reminded him again about the stolen Sikh religious treasures when he visited the Darbar Sahib, Amritsar, yesterday on the occasion of the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the installation of the Guru Granth Sahib.

Some years ago Former Defence Minister George Frenandes, in response to a request, had told the SGPC that all the historical material removed from the Golden Temple, during the June 1984 army attack, was in possession of the CBI. After the disclosure nothing was heard from the then Indian defence minister in the BJP government, George Fernandes. Following the attack, the Sikh historical treasure - 500 years of history - was transfered into 190 gunny bags and hauled away to a local Youth hostel from where it was later sent to Delhi on three trucks by the Indian army, in June 1984, in the presence of many witnesses including Sirdar Ranjit Singh, who was then the SHO, Thana Civil Lines, Amritsar.

However, last July a report in the TRIBUNE, (a Chandigarh-based English language newspaper, published in the Sikh Homeland of Punjab) referring to a July 24, 2004, Washington DC opening of the world famous Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History's exhibition, "Sikhs: Legacy of the Punjab,") rekindled the issue of the missing Sikh heritage and aroused the suspicion of Sikh Americans.

The above-mentioned TRIBUNE report, published in the July 12, 2004 issue, by one Prabhjot Singh, (http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20040712/punjab1.htm#8) had claimed that Tarlochan Singh, a low-life dishonest 'Quisling', (who was deeply involved in the government's masquerader exercise which saw the removal, for 'safe keeping', of truck loads of priceless and historical objet d'art, books, documents, gold coins etc., pertaining to five hundred years of Sikh history, from the Golden Temple, Amritsar in June 1984) would inaugurate the Sikh exhibition in Washington DC. Although protests from Sikh American community did not let Tarlochan Singh inaugurate the Smithsonian Sikh exhibition but, scuttlebutt has it that Tarlochan Singh (currently Chairman of the bogus 'do-nothing' National Commission for Minorities of India) has been trying to sell historical Sikh objet d'art in New York and elsewhere as he knows their whereabouts and is probably pilfering the lost treasure. The SGPC ought to bring Tarlochan Singh's involvment to President Abul Kalam's notice. It might work. For details of this July 2004 Sikh exhibition-Tarlochan Singh episode please read Khalistan Calling dated July 28, 2004, by clicking at: home/khalistancalling/2004/July28.aspx

According to media reports from Amritsar Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, would be paying his respects at the Darbar Sahib, Amritsar, today, September 01, 2004, on the 400th anniversary celebrations of the installation of the Guru Granth Sahib. Four former Indian Prime Ministers (V. P. Singh, I. K. Gujral, A. B. Vajpayee and Chandra Shekhar) the Dalai Lama and Ravi Shankar of Art of Living fame, are also expected to share the stage with Dr. Manmohan Singh.

There is uncertainty whether Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would announce certain projects on the 400th anniversary of the installation of Guru Granth Sahib, when he visits Amritsar today. Punjab had earlier proposed a string of proposals to celebrate the occasion at the meeting of the national committee in New Delhi on August 23. As a follow-up of that a programme committee was constituted, headed by Minister for Cultural Affairs Jaipal Reddy. This committee held a meeting in New Delhi on Friday August 27 where Punjab had presented the project profiles.

Among the projects that found favour was an economic zone and an institute of biotechnology to be named after Bhai Gurdas, who had compiled the Holy Book and was also the first granthi at the Golden Temple. The other proposals were setting up of an institution of Guru Granth Sahib studies, beautification of surroundings of the Golden Temple complex, preservation of the heritage in the Amritsar ''walled city'' and construction of Kabir auditorium and Ravi Das library at Varanasi and Namdev hall of scriptures in Maharashtra. Completion of Khalsa Heritage Complex at Anandpur Sahib was also included. According to press reports it is unlikely that Dr. Manmohan Singh would make an announcement about any of the projects.

One wonders why Dr. Manmohan Singh, who ought to know better, has agreed to bracket his visit today to the Darbar Sahib, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the installation of Guru Granth Sahib, an auspicious occasion, with a visit he has agreed to make to the Durgiana Temple two miles away ostensibly to inaugurate a Durgiana Temple website - not a big event needing the presence of a Prime minister. Obviously the motive to bracket the two is suspect in Sikh eyes. No Sikh will object if Dr. Manmohan Singh, as Prime minister of India, made a special trip to visit the Durgiana temple or the Amritsar Jama Masjid or an Amritsar Church. Readers may recall that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth of England was faced with a similar situation many years ago when she came visiting to Amritsar to pay her respect at the Darbar Sahib. She refused to give in to Indian government pressure to equate the Darbar Sahib visit with a Durgiana temple visit. She made it clear that she did not want to bracket the two as her Amritsar stop over was meant exclusively to pay respects at the Darbar Sahib. Former Canadian Prime minister Jean Chretien, when he visited the Darbar Sahib on October 25, 2003, also resisted Indian Government pressure and refused to visit the Durgiana temple.

Dr. Manmohan Singh should have declined, like the British Queen and Canadian Prime Minister Jeane Chretien, and resisted pressures to equate the 400th anniversary of the installation of Guru Granth Sahib - an event which has come after four hundred years - with the routine opening of a website. He could have visited the Durgiana temple on some other occasion. He should have also known that the Durgiana Temple Management Committee is currently involved in a major controversy, nay fraud, over the sale, last month, of five acres of prime temple land located in Bhateywind village on the Ram Tirath road. (August 25, 2004 Tribune headlined, "Temple sells land - Buys controversy": http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20040825/punjab1.htm#18) According to this report in the TRIBUNE, it is alleged that, "no advertisements were published, or tenders called or auction sanctioned and no sub-committee of the management was formed for the disposal of the temple land. Meanwhile, an angry local resident, Mr S.S. Sharma, has raised the issue with the Deputy Commissioner and has written to the Chief Minister demanding a CBI inquiry of the Durgiana Temple land sale fraud."

If despite the above report of fraud at the Durgiana Temple Dr. Manmohan Singh has bracketed the Darbar Sahib with the Durgiana temple, and can't see the diference, then what is this timid man going to do for the Sikhs or Punjab? Said Napoleon, "The torment of precautions often exceeds the dangers to be avoided". Dr. Manmohan Singh is not going to do anything for us Sikhs. (Please read Khalistan Calling headlined, "Sikhon` ko Dr. Manmohan Singh kay prime minister bunnay say kyamila?" -"What did the Sikhs gain from Mrs Sonia Gandhi's appointment of a Sikh, as Prime minister of India?" by clicking at: home/khalistancalling/2004/June09.aspx).