Chandigarh: Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has demanded a ban on a booklet titled, “Sri Kashi Vishwanath Dham Ka Gauravshali Itihas,” released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the inauguration of the Vishwanath Dham Corridor on December 13.
In a release issued here on Thursday, SGPC media secretary Kulwinder Singh Ramdas claimed, “The booklet states that the Panj Piaras(five beloved ones) through whom the Khalsa Panth was founded by Guru Gobind Singh (tenth Sikh master), were first sent to Kashi so that they may attain full knowledge of Sanatan Dharam and be ready for its protection. The booklet also states that the Sikh faith was established to protect the Sanatan Dharam from the Mughals. Both these statements are devoid of facts, with illusory intentions and lack of knowledge about the mission of the Sikh faith.”
Ramdas further claimed, “In fact, Khalsa Panth was formed to protect religious values and human rights against oppression, tyranny and injustice and not to protect the Sanatan Dharam. Secondly, the five Sikhs sent to Kashi are totally different from the Panj Piaras who offered heads at the time of the formation of the Khalsa at Anandpur Sahib.”