Harjinder Singh Dhami Resigns As Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee Chief
Stressing that he will remain committed to the Akal Takht, Dhami said he was resigning as a token of respect for the Jathedar of the Sri Akal Takht Sahib.
Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) Chief Harjinder Singh Dhami on Monday resigned as the chief of the SGPC with immediate effect. He said he was tendering his resignation on "moral grounds".
Dhami's resignation comes amid the ongoing row which started after Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh condemned the dismissal of services of Giani Harpreet Singh, the Jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib, which was ordered by the SGPC.
Stressing that he will remain committed to the Akal Takht, Dhami said he was resigning as a token of respect for the Jathedar of the Sri Akal Takht Sahib.
He said that he has also written to the Akal Takht Jathedar to relieve him from his position in the seven-member committe that was set up to supervise the reorganisation of the Shriomani Akali Dal.
On February 13, Giani Raghbir Singh had condemned the dismissal of Harpreet Singh's services as the Jathedar in a post on Facebook. In the post, he said Giani Harpreet Singh's removal was "highly condemnable and unfortunate" and will bring harm to the independent existence of the 'Takht Sahibs'.
Referring to this February 13 Facebook post of Jathedar Raghbir Singh regarding the termination of Giani Harpreet Singh's services, Dhami stated that he wrote that removing the latter was "highly condemnable" and "unfortunate".
"I being 'pardhan' (president of SGPC) take responsibility and resign from the post on moral grounds with immediate effect," he said while addressing the media in Amritsar on Monday.
Dhami had been facing a moral dilemma as the Akal Takht Jathedar had openly opposed Giani Harpreet Singh's removal.Moreover, SAD acting president Balwinder Singh Bhundar did not appear before the seven-member committee headed by Dhami.
Giani Harpreet Singh was dismissed by the SGPC on December 10, 2024 as the jathedar of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib in Bathinda. The decision was taken during an executive committee meeting of the SGPC.
The committee announced the decision to remove him after accepting a report by a three-member committee to probe the allegations against Giani Harpreet Singh in connection with an 18-year-old domestic dispute matter.
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