Day after Akal Takht, SGPC reject amendments, another sacrilege incident surfaces

Amritsar: Another alleged incident of sacrilege has surfaced that too just a day after the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and the Akal Takht rejected amendments to the Jagat Jyot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026, raising fresh concerns over the effectiveness of preventive measures and points towards the persistent gaps in enforcement and policy, even as the SGPC continue to rely largely on warnings without visible, concrete action.The latest controversy stems from a photograph — believed to be AI-generated — circulating on social media, purportedly showing three men standing around a two-wheeler inside the parikrama of the Golden Temple, wearing footwear and with uncovered heads, which is considered deeply disrespectful act.The episode has once again intensified scrutiny of the SGPC's efforts to curb sacrilege, particularly in the digital age. The SGPC has been issuing advisories and warnings against such acts, but there has been little visible since such incidents — real or fabricated — continue to surface with alarming frequency.SGPC legal adviser and spokesperson Amanbir Singh Siali said the matter itself proves why the SGPC and Akal Takht convened a special meeting on Sunday. "We have been consistently asking what concrete measures the govt has taken to prevent sacrilege, especially those enabled through AI technologies," he said.Explaining their decision to reject the amendments, he said both the SGPC and Akal Takht maintained that they were not consulation which was causing such incidents time and again, he said.Amanbir also flagged significant gaps in the proposed law, particularly its failure to address AI-driven content manipulation. "There are no clear provisions dealing with AI-generated sacrilege, watermarking, or digital tracing. The existing IT framework alone is insufficient," he added.When asked what action the SGPC has taken on its own so far, he said the SGPC has constituted a sub-committee of academic and technical experts which is contemplating on the issue.
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