HC issues notices to Centre, Army & CBI on Sikh artefacts taken from Golden Temple during Bluestar

Chandigarh: Punjab and Haryana high court on Monday issued notices to Army, CBI and central govt on a plea seeking directions to disclose the whereabouts of the manuscripts, religious books, and other articles that were allegedly seized during Operation Bluestar and handed over to Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) by Army and CBI.As per the petition, these articles were ‘seized' by Army from the Sikh Reference Library, Toshakhana, Central Sikh Museum and Guru Ramdas Library in Golden Temple complex during the 1984 operation.A division bench headed by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu issued the notices after hearing a PIL filed in 2019 by Ludhiana resident Satinder Singh. The petitioner described himself as a devout Sikh, with deep sentimental attachment with the articles / artefacts/ manuscripts connected with Sikh history and expressed concern about "misappropriation of manuscripts, religious books and other articles handed over to SGPC by Army, CBI and govt and duly received by SGPC".The petition claims that the home ministry, in a petition filed on a similar issue in 2004, had informed that all the valuables, artefacts and manuscripts of historical significance recovered from Golden Temple Complex were returned to SGPC and officials of Punjab govt. As per information, 52 historical and 43 non-historical items were handed over to SGPC and state authorities.It was further stated that the historical items included paintings of Central Sikh Museum, handed over to Punjab Govt Museum curator Mohan Singh on Sept 13, 1984. The non-historical items were given to Giani Bhagwan Singh, Head Granthi of Sri Akal Takht. On June13, 1984, Amritsar treasury officer Kailash Chand Sharma was given gold and gold ornaments, silver and silver ornaments, precious and semi-precious stones and pearls. Currency notes worth Rs 30,93,936, coins, FDRs were also given."On July 5, 1985, 98 paintings, 14 photographs and four manuscripts recovered from Central Sikh Museum were handed over to Mohan Singh, department of cultural affairs, Chandigarh. Whereabouts of which are not known even after several years," the petition says.The petitioner has sought directions to prepare lists of the artefacts, manuscripts, and literature, which were removed by Army on June 7, 1984, and those that were returned to SGPC. It also prays to ensure that these manuscripts, religious books, and other articles are restored to the libraries, Central Sikh Museum and Toshakhana in Golden Temple Complex and made available to general public for Darshan, reading and research purposes. The next hearing is on April 29.