Gurdwara Gyan Goddari
HARDIWAR, UTTRAKHAND - A march by several Sikh organizations, demanding construction of a Gurdwara at Har Ki Pauri here, was today foiled by the district administration.
On the occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti today, the outfits had planned a march pressing for reconstruction of Gurdwara Gyan Godri, which was demolished at Har Ki Pauri in 1984, officials said.
Members of Akhil Bharatiya Sikh Sangat, All India Sikh Conference, Panthak Lahar and Uttarakhand Punjabi Kranti Morcha were prevented from taking out the procession, said Sachin Kurve, District Magistrate of Haridwar.
Akhil Bharatiya Sikh Sangat volunteers were detained at a Gurdwara as a preventive measure, the DM said. Apart from this, heavy deployment of police in view of 'Kartik Poornima' on the ghat also acted as a deterrent, he said.
The Uttarakhand police on Wednesday prevented the entry of a Sikh Jatha into the state, thus the Sikhs travelling to Haridwar had to stay in the territory of Himachal Pradesh.
The Uttarakhand police had made adequate security arrangements at Kulhal barrier, about 50 km from here.
The Sikh community, anguished over the attitude of the Uttarakhand government, also blocked the traffic for more than three hours, thus no traffic was allowed between the two states.
As per as the information, about 300 people of the Sikh Community wanted to reach Shri Gyan Goddari Gurdwara, demolished during the Sikh riots in 1984 in Uttarakhund near Haridwar on the eve of Guru Parav. The Sikh devotees were arrested for destabilizing the peace. The traffic was restored at around 3pm. Later the devotees were released by the police.
Though it was not confirmed but sources said that the Uttarakund government did not want the entry to the Sikh Jathas who raised demands related to Shri Gyan Goddari Gurdwara.
After denying entry to the state, the Sikh Jatha arrived from Punjab camped on the highway which turned into a traffic blockade later on. The congregation of a large number of personnel of the Uttarakhand police at the border with Himachal Pradesh clearly indicated that the Uttarakhand police had done adequate arrangements for preventing the entry of Sikh Jathas.
Saint Baljit Singh of Gurdwara Gyan Goddai Dharm Yuad Morcha was also present during the entire episode. All India Sikh Council chief Gursharan Singh Babbar termed the prevention of entry into the Uttarakhand an attack on the democracy and added that the Jatha wanted to reach Haridwar peacefully.
Courtesy: Various sources, including HT/IE, wire.
