The clarification comes after reports suggested that the Golden Temple management had allowed the Army to deploy air defence resources within the shrine to counter potential drone or missile threats. The claim has also been categorically denied by religious authorities and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the apex Sikh religious body.
SGPC, temple priests reject deployment claims
SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said the administration had contacted the shrine only to request switching off lights during a city-wide blackout following the escalation of cross-border tensions. "We cooperated in the interest of public safety, but no permission was given for installing defence equipment," he said.
Dhami emphasised that there was no communication from Army officials regarding any deployment inside the shrine complex. Additional head priest Giani Amarjeet Singh also called the claims "shockingly untrue" and confirmed that no air defence systems were brought into the Golden Temple.
Giani Raghbir Singh, Head Granthi of Sri Harmandar Sahib, who was abroad at the time of Operation Sindoor, also said he was not contacted for any such decision, and there was no such activity at the shrine.
Religious conduct maintained during blackout
The temple management confirmed that only the upper and exterior lights were turned off during the blackout, while interior lights required for maintaining religious 'maryada' (code of conduct) remained on. “The Langar, Akhand Path Sahib recitations, and other daily religious practices continued without interruption,” Singh said.
Dhami added that large numbers of devotees visited the shrine during this time, and any unusual activity such as gun deployment would not have gone unnoticed. While acknowledging the Army’s role during heightened tensions, he criticised the spread of “falsehoods” and demanded an official clarification from the government.
(With PTI inputs)
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