Amritsar : The Akal Takht secretariat on Monday rejected allegations of caste discrimination levelled by AAP MLA Manwinder Singh Giaspura . The Akal Takht clarified that the decision to deny him entry followed directions from officiating jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj due to the legislator’s past objectionable remarks against Sikh personalities and institutions.




In a statement, the secretariat’s media adviser said Giaspura’s allegation that he was stopped because of his caste was “false and misleading”.




The secretariat received a complaint submitted by a delegation of AAP legislators regarding the Oct 10 incident at Delhi’s Gurdwara Bangla Sahib , and informed them that it would be placed before the officiating Jathedar for appropriate action.




The delegation had visited the secretariat to seek action over the alleged violation of the gurdwara’s religious decorum by Delhi Police personnel during the ongoing protest in the national capital. However, Giaspura, who accompanied the legislators, was not allowed inside.




The media adviser stated that the secretariat follows the Sikh principle that “doors of Darbar Sahib remain open to people from all directions”. The adviser maintained that Giaspura was stopped because of his alleged derogatory, objectionable and threatening remarks against the jathedar and Sikh institutions in the past.




To counter the allegation of caste bias, the secretariat pointed out that AAP MLAs Dalbir Singh of Baba Bakala Sahib and Kulwant Singh Pandori of Mehal Kalan, who belong to the same community as Giaspura, were allowed to enter the Akal Takht secretariat.




The release claimed that Giaspura had made further objectionable remarks about Sri Darbar Sahib and the Akal Takht secretariat on Monday.




It stated that strict action could be initiated against the MLA if he failed to apologise to the Sikh community for “false and misleading propaganda”. The statement termed his conduct condemnable, noting that Giaspura was an Amritdhari Sikh.




Regarding the Bangla Sahib incident, the adviser, speaking on behalf of the officiating jathedar, stated that gurdwaras have an established maryada (code of Sikh religious conduct) that must be respected and cannot be violated.




The secretariat also clarified that the legislators’ visit had not been scheduled through a prior appointment. According to the statement, Inderjit Singh Harpura, Amritsar’s public relations officer, conveyed information about the visit by telephone around 9.30 am.




No list of the visiting legislators was provided in advance, it said, adding that officials could have communicated the restriction on Giaspura’s entry beforehand had his name been included.