| Seremban, Malaysia | 3 March 2017 | Asia Samachar |
Seremban Sikhs denied entry to a group from out of town to avoid any potential disruption to the planned talk by Prof Inder Singh Ghagaa, an author and Sikh parcharak deemed controversial by some quarters.
The action was prompted by an incident at an Ipoh gurdwara on Monday when the same group disrupted the speaker’s talk session by loud chants of ‘Satnam Waheguru’.
“Let those inside [the Darbar Sahib] listen, don’t insult their intelligence. We love our Guru just as much as you guys,” one Gurdwara Sahib Seremban volunteer told some members from outstation group. The conversation was shared with Asia Samachar by one of the Seremban youth present on the ground.
“He gave a beautiful talk….Most of the Sanggat members were happy with the session,” another Seremban-based Sikh told Asia Samachar.
Prof Ghagaa, an author of more than 20 Sikh-related books, was formerly a personal assistant to Akal Takht Jathedaar Manjit Singh for eight years and has been doing Gurmat parchaar for over 40 years. His views on the Sikh faith, which flies in the face of the interpretation of some Sikh groups, have caused the ire of these groups and invited criticism.
On Monday, he was attacked when walking out of the darbar sahib at Gurdwara Sahib Greentown (Ashby Road), causing his turban to be removed. A gurdwara official was also attacked at the same time.
This time around, however, there were no untoward incident in Seremban, the state capital of Negeri Sembilan, which is about an hour’s drive from Kuala Lumpur.
The outstation group, led by Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Academy head Paramjit Singh, initially tried to force their way into the gurdwara, arguing that they have a right to ‘darshan’ the Guru and join the Sanggat.
However, the local Seremban Sikh volunteers denied them entry, forcing them to remain outside the gurdwara side entrance.
“They challenged us, telling us that we have no right to stop them. We stood our ground. They tried telling us that the parcharak was divisive. We told them to let us decide on that ourselves,” said a Seremban gurdwara official.
The gurdwara management committee had also put up a notice that the programme was for Sikhs from Seremban and its surrounding areas, and is by invitation only.
At around 7.40pm, the outstation group began saying ‘Satnam Waheguru’ loudly at the side entrance along Lorong Khalsa.
In a statement released yesterday, Malaysian Gurdwara Council (MGC) suggested that continuing chanting when a katha (Sikh-based lecture or a talk) is about to begin is a transgression of the Sikh Reht Maryada (SRM).
Many policemen, both in uniform and plain cloth, were seen around the gurdwara.
[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE. Follow us on Twitter. Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]
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