Purge At The Temple

Sikh apex body SGPC sees a near complete overhaul

- Asit Jolly

On November 29, the historic Teja Singh Samundari Hall, at the far end of Amritsar’s Golden Temple complex, saw more than the usual intrigue that accompanies annual elections to the executive of the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC)— the apex committee that controls most Sikh shrines and institutions.

In a move that surprised everyone, the 170-member SGPC general house effected a purge, dropping all but two of the 15-person executive panel, including incumbent president Kirpal Singh Badungar, a long-time loyalist of the Badal clan. Gobind Singh Longowal, foster son of the early 1980s Shiromani Akali Dal president Harchand Singh Longowal, was anointed the new president.