Vaivasvat Venkat, TNN 12 August 2009 - LUDHIANA: In an incident that shocked Gurdwara visitors on Tuesday, a granthi was caught watching clips of a porn film on his mobile phone that was hidden under the Manji Sahib on which the Guru Granth Sahib rested.
The granthi, who managed to run away after his transgression was noticed, had allegedly been doing this for quite some time. According to sarpanch Amrik Singh of Jhar Sahab, near Ludhiana, the incident came to light in the morning when a faithful Sikh praying at the Jhar Sahab gurdwara, managed by SGPC, found granthi Gurpreet Singh "wasn't concentrating in the prayers and was rather distracted by something else underneath the platform on which the Guru rested."
"I was shocked to see that the granthi was actually busy watching pornographic clips on his cellphone that he had cleverly hidden under the Manji Sahib," said Jasbir Singh Gill, one of those praying at the gurdwara. "I immediately called the head granthi, Jaspal Singh, and we caught the man red-handed."
"We have registered an FIR under IPC section 295 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) against the accused after confirming the porn movie clips in his mobile," said Rajesh Kumar, SHO, under whose jurisdiction Jhar Sahab falls. This is the second time in recent days something like this involving a granthi has happened.
Days after the Ludhiana gurdwara granthi was caught watching porn clips on his cellphone while reading scriptures, another priest was caught filming a woman while she was bathing at the historical Kiratpur Sahib gurdwara.
A shocked Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has sacked the priest along with his accomplice. The two were caught filming the woman while she was taking bath at Gurdwara Baba Gurudittaji's 'sarai' (resting place for devotees) in Kiratpur Sahib on Thursday.
Takht Kesgarh Sahib jathedar Giani Tirlochan Singh, under whose jurisdiction Anandpur Sahib and Kiratpur Sahib gurdwaras fall, said the two were sacked with immediate effect after the incident was brough to his notice. “The two aren't SGPC's permanent employees," he said.
A police officer said the woman had come to the gurdwara along with her husband on August 12. The next evening, as she noticed the two were filming her, she raised an alarm. The duo was identified as priest Inderjeet Singh and kitchen assistant Jaswinder Singh of nearby Bhatauli village.
The incident has shocked the devotees. Achhar Singh, a devotee who had come with his family, said, “SGPC has constantly been getting a bad name due to such acts in gurdwaras. I had planned to stay here for two days but now I wouldn't spend even a single night."
Anandpur Sahib DSP Sant Singh said a case was registered against the two on the woman's complaint. The duo was apprehended on the same day, but were later released on bail. “The phones recovered from them didn't have any vulgar content but they confessed to having filmed the woman. They had been doing this for a long time," the officer said.
- Editor's note: This news story made me reflect on the duality and hypocrisy and simple human frailty that lies within us all.