Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Tuesday led a surprise protest outside the office of Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav, alleging political harassment in connection with the ongoing probe into the disappearance of 328 ‘saroops’ of Sri Guru Granth Sahib from the custody of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).
Accompanied by the entire core committee of the SAD, Sukhbir reached the DGP office without prior notice and staged a dharna at the main gate. Party leaders and workers raised anti-government slogans, accusing the state government of misusing the police machinery to settle political scores.
Speaking to the media during the protest, Sukhbir alleged that the investigation was being deliberately extended to intrude into his private business affairs. He claimed that the police were harassing his accountants and even their family members despite their having no connection with the SGPC or its functioning.
According to Sukhbir, the move was part of a broader attempt to create a false narrative and prepare the ground to frame him on what he described as frivolous charges. He maintained that the probe into the missing ‘saroops’ was being politicised instead of focusing on those directly responsible.
“I am ready to be arrested. If the government wants to investigate me, let them register a case and proceed according to the law. But innocent people who have nothing to do with this matter should not be troubled,” Sukhbir said, addressing the gathering outside the DGP office.
The controversy stems from the special investigation team (SIT) report, which held 16 individuals accountable in the case, including SGPC’s former internal auditor Satinder Singh Kohli. Kohli had also audited Sukhbir Badal’s private business accounts, a link that the SAD chief said was being misused to harass unrelated individuals.
The probe report revealed that no audits of the SGPC were conducted after 2016, despite Kohli’s firm, SS Kohli & Associates, being engaged since 2009 for audit work and account computerisation. In 2020, the SGPC terminated Kohli’s services, and following directions from the Akal Takht, its executive committee approved legal action to recover 75 per cent of the payments made to his firm. However, the recovery process was never initiated.
The issue has further escalated political tensions in Punjab, with the SAD accusing the government of targeting the opposition under the guise of investigation. The state government, on the other hand, has maintained that the SIT is functioning independently and that the probe is being conducted strictly within the framework of the law.
As the investigation continues, the matter remains highly sensitive, intersecting religious sentiments, institutional accountability, and political rivalry, keeping it firmly in focus in Punjab’s political landscape.
