Deep divisions have emerged within gurdwara managements in the Canadian province of Ontario over a decision by the Ontario Gurdwara Committee (OGC) to bar Indian officials from the places of worship, with several groups saying they will not back the move and calling for more consultations.
The Ontario Sikhs and Gurdwara Council (OSGC) held a meeting on Saturday at the Gursikh Sabha gurdwara in Scarborough, a suburb of Toronto, during which the ban on Indian officials figured in the discussions.
Former OSGC president and council member Harbans Singh Jandali, who was at the meeting, told media, “We have not imposed any ban because this isn’t issue for us.”
Asked about the OGC’s decision, he said, “That is their opinion, it is up to them. We have never seen this interference.”
He was referring to the OGC’s claim that Indian officials were interfering in the affairs of gurdwaras and the Sikh community and making it one of the reasons for the ban.
The OGC, meanwhile, has doubled down on the ban. In a statement, it said that “due to increased interference from Indian consular and government officials, it was felt that this notice be put in writing so gurdwaras can place this in plain view”.
