“Mask-wearing cannot be enforced inside sanctum sanctorum of Sri Harmandir Sahib,” SGPC’s weird diktat

The Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee or SGPC is a mini parliament of the Sikh community and has courted social media controversy lately. This, after its official Twitter handle made it unequivocally clear that the body, in charge of the maintenance and upkeep of Sri Harmandir Sahib at Amritsar will not enforce mandatory mask-wearing inside the sanctum sanctorum of the Golden Temple.

Interestingly, the SGPC has not offered a rational explanation, or one even rooted in tradition, as to why it is unwilling to enforce mandatory mask-wearing inside thethe SGPC has not offered a rational explanation, or one even rooted in tradition, as to why it is unwilling to enforce mandatory mask-wearing inside the sanctum sanctorum of Sri Harmandir Sahib.

In a tweet, the body said, “SGPC has time and again appealed to devotees visiting Sri Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar to follow Covid19 safety norms of health department. Mask wearing cannot be enforced inside sanctum sanctorum of Sachkhand Sri Harmandir Sahib.” This was in reply to a tweet by BJP’s RP Singh Khalsa, who had urged the SGPC to ensure that all devotees be compulsorily made to wear masks.

A month ago, SGPC chief Bibi Jagir Kaur, after a meeting with officials of the Amritsar administration had said that the SGPC had issued an appeal to devotees visiting the Golden Temple to follow Covid appropriate behaviour by wearing masks and maintaining social distancing. However, she made it clear that it will limit its efforts to “motivating people” and will not force anyone to wear masks inside the sanctum sanctorum of the Golden Temple.

When asked by one Mandeep Singh Bajwa on Twitter as to why mask-wearing cannot be enforced inside the sanctum sanctorum of Sri Harmandir Sahib, the official handle of the SGPC replied by saying, “Sir, we have replied you in the DM. Hope you understand the sentiments and keep faith in Gurughar.” When asked by another user as to why the SGPC was not shedding light regarding its stand on masks publicly, the SGPC handle replied by saying, “Mask wearing cannot be enforced to due Sikh faith and maryada related reasons as these at Sachkhand Sri Harmandar Sahib cannot be altered, distorted or desecrated at any cost. Public that visits have faith in Guru’s house.”

A Twitter user also said that the SGPC was citing a ‘sakhi’ or historical story of the third Sikh Guru, Guru Amardas in order to somehow add weight to its argument that mask-wearing cannot be enforced inside the sanctum sanctorum of Sri Harmandir Sahib. The precedent set by Guru Amardas was, in fact, against veils and ‘purdahs’ which were worn by women before Gurus and spiritual masters. To add to it, Guru Nanak – founder of the Sikh faith had also instructed devotees to approach him without a veil or purdah. These were moves aimed at empowering women, and can certainly not be equalised with a public health crisis that the country faces right now.

The SGPC must ensure that it gets rid of dogmatism and prioritises public health at a time when the nation faces an unprecedented health crisis. Not mandating mask wearing for devotees while citing ‘maryada’ or traditions does not auger well for the Sikh institution.