The Fact News Service
Chandigarh, October 7
The Global Sikh Council (GSC), representing 30 national Sikh organizations, has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for his immediate intervention to stop the proposed demolition of historic Gurdwara Guru Nanak Darbar in Shillong, Meghalaya. The Council emphasised that this gurdwara, established in 1874, holds deep religious and historical significance for the Sikhs and is under threat due to the State government’s inhumane urban development plans.
In a letter to the PM the GSC President Lady Singh, Kanwaljit Kaur OBE, said it is alarming that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supported Meghalaya government had resolved to demolish the centuries-old gurdwara, located in the Punjabi Colony in Bara Bazar, Shillong, a habitation to about 340 families. The gurdwara, alongside other religious sites in the area, faces demolition as part of so-called beautification project in the Punjabi Lane (Them Lew Mawlong).
She informed that the Gurdwara Guru Nanak Darbar is not only a place of worship but also a monument of spiritual and cultural heritage, symbolizing the long-standing bond between the Sikh community and the region. “This gurdwara, built in honour of Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s visit to the East, is a testament to the timeless message of peace, equality, and universal brotherhood that Guru Nanak Ji preached. Its destruction would deal a devastating blow to the Sikh qaum’s religious and cultural identity”, she added.
The GSC president has appreciated the timely efforts of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) in raising this issue with the Meghalaya government. The Council has asked the National Commission for Minorities and Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), to immediately utilize their influence and credentials with the BJP led National Democratic Alliance NDA government to prevent the demolition of Sikh shrine without delay.
Moreover, the GSC has also urged the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to use his position to press for the protection of this gurdwara and send a delegation comprising MPs and MLAs to Shillong to access the situation and support the Meghalaya Sikhs.
In addition to this the GSC has also appealed to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to take swift action in protecting this historically significant shrine in the Eastern state. “The Gurdwara Guru Nanak Darbar, having stood for over a century, qualifies as a heritage site and should be preserved under India’s rich legacy of cultural and religious monuments”, she emphasised.
Kanwaljit Kaur informed that the legal claims of the Punjabi Lane Sikh residents, who holds land title deeds dating back to 1863, affirm their right to both the land and the gurdwara itself, should be respected. “To allow the demolition of this historic gurdwara is to allow a piece of Sikh heritage to be wiped away. It is a loss not only to the Sikh qaum but also to the diverse cultural and religious landscape of India. We call upon all responsible parties to raise this genuine concern with the authorities at helm of affairs,” said Kanwaljit Kaur.
The Council also called for the preservation and maintenance of places of worship for all religions, and emphasised that religious tolerance, harmony, and the protection of sacred spaces are essential to the fundamental, moral and spiritual fabric of India.
