The Sikh community was seen grossly divided on the occasion of 413th anniversary of first installation of Guru Granth Sahib in Darbar Sahib owing to differences over Gurpurab's date. While Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee(SGPC) celebrated the Gurpurab according to amended version of Nanakshahi Calendar (NC) on Tuesday , the other Sikh religious and educational bodies have announced to celebrate the day on September 1st which falls according to NC adopted in 2003.
Interestingly, it was Kirpal Singh Badungar under whose tenure as president of SGPC, the Committee had adopted Paul Singh Purewal authored NC in 2003 which, despite vigorous opposition by several Sikh bodies , was later amended and now fourteen years later Badungar led SGPC is celebrating the Gurpurab according to the amended version of NC also called a copy of traditional Bikrami calendar.
"We respect sentiments of Sangat but this is not the actual date of Gurpurab, we will celebrate the day on September 1st" said chief of Akal Purakh Ki Fauj Jaswinder Singh while talking to TOI on Tuesday.