A day of barricades and detentions in Delhi took another turn on Saturday when protesters sought shelter at Gurdwara Bangla Sahib. Soon, a video showing police personnel walking through a passage at the Sikh shrine with their shoes on went viral on social media, triggering allegations of disrespect and a political war of words.
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“Aam Aadmi Party leaders have started indulging in dirty politics over the protest held in Delhi today. Legal action was being initiated, the statement added. He went on to describe it as an attempt by the BJP government to stop protesters from seeking shelter. But Harmeet Singh Kalka, president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), raised a different question: what were protesters doing inside the gurdwara? He demanded an unconditional apology from the former Delhi Chief Minister and other leaders supporting the alleged conduct.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police, New Delhi, said the video showed personnel walking through a common passage used by devotees to reach the point where shoes are removed before entering the gurdwara. The same procedure applies to every visitor, police said, releasing another video to show the route. The footage was circulated “deliberately with malicious intent”, police alleged, saying it could hurt religious sentiments and disturb communal harmony. Punjab Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira said the Nishan Sahib, the Sikh flag flown at gurdwaras, was a symbol of refuge. They are now trying to malign gurdwaras,” Kalka said. In a post on X, he said the gurdwara was a sacred place for prayers, service and Sikh religious traditions, not a political battleground.
