Protests in Haryana for separate SGPC

Sikhs demanding a separate SGPC for Haryana today protested against the state government for allegedly not keeping its promise in this regard.
Members of ad hoc Haryana Sikh Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee raised slogans against the state government and burnt an effigy of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda for not constituting a separate SGPC for Haryana as promised in its manifesto in 2005 assembly elections.
"Despite promising a separate SGPC for Haryana in its election manifesto in 2005, the Congress government, which has been in power since March 2005, has virtually done nothing in this regard," state general secretary of HSGPC, Jasbir Singh Khalsa said here.

A separate SGPC would allow Sikhs of Haryana to manage their religious places themselves, he said.
"In 2006, the state government had constituted a committee headed by Cabinet Minister Harmohinder Singh Chatha to study its modalities. In 2007, Sikhs had submitted 27,500 affidavits to Chatha Committee in favour of separate SGPC and Chatha later submitted a report to the state government in this regard, but the matter has been hanging fire ever since," he said.
The state government should issue an ordinance in this regard before December 31, he said.
Nearly 15 lakh Sikhs are residing in the state and most of them are in favour of a separate SGPC, he said.

The Amritsar-based SGPC, which is the apex religious body of Sikhs, is currently governing the affairs of Sikh shrines in Haryana.