Bhai Gurcharan Singh Grewal strongly advocates Sikh side in NCM meeting

Amritsar, July 26, 2023: The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has raised a strong voice against the issuance of Sikh minority certificates by the Delhi Minority Commission and some government officials instead of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), required by the Sikh students at the time of admission in some colleges including Delhi University.

In a meeting called by the National Commission for Minorities regarding this matter, SGPC General Secretary Bhai Gurcharan Singh Grewal has logically advocated for maintaining this right of issuing (Sikh) minority certificates only with Sikh institutions.

Bhai Grewal said that Iqbal Singh Lalpura, Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities had called a meeting after the matter came to light that the Delhi Minority Commission issued certificates for admission in educational institutions of Delhi under the Sikh minority quota.

In this meeting, Bhai Grewal represented the SGPC, Advocate Kulbir Singh and Jaswinder Singh Jolly from DSGMC, and member of Delhi Minority Commission Ajitpal Singh Bindra and some officers were present. The SGPC in this meeting has clearly supported the DSGMC that the right to verify the authenticity of the Sikh minority within the Delhi region should remain with it. He said that this matter is very serious because there are many aspects of Sikh identity, which can be examined only in the light of Sikh history, Sikh traditions, and Maryada (code of conduct). He said that if a non-Sikh without a Sikh mentality issues this certificate, then big disputes may arise in the future. He said that any commission related to minorities can be functional only to simplify their affairs, and the Commission cannot be given the power to check the authenticity of Sikhs. In view of all this, the SGPC supports the fact that the right to verify the authenticity of the Sikh minorities shall remain with the Sikh institutions, and at any cost such authority should not go to the government officials or non-Sikh institutions.