Bangla Sahib row: Complaint filed against AAP; Delhi Police clarifies boot video as CJP urges Sikhs to join protests

The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Managing Committee (DSGMC) filed a police complaint against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal and other party leaders for alleged political activity at Gurdwara Sri Bangla Sahib during protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Read also | Delhi CJP Protest LIVE: ‘EC is compromised,’ claims Ashutosh Ranka

The complaint also accuses AAP leaders of circulating misleading videos of the incident as the Delhi Police denied allegations that its staff entered the gurdwara’s main sanctum wearing shoes.

The controversy erupted on Saturday, October 10, after protesters trying to enter Jantar Mantar for anti-CEC demonstrations took shelter in Bangla Sahib. Police detained protesters outside the premises, while there were competing reports about whether officers had entered the gurdwara and whether religious protocols had been breached.

DSGMC accuses AAP of politicizing Bangla Sahib

Quick answers to key questions

•5 QUESTIONS

The DSGMC accused AAP workers and supporters of entering the gurdwara premises and raising political slogans during the protests. It also alleged that AAP leaders were circulating misleading videos and asked the police to identify those involved.

Delhi Police denied that its personnel entered the main shrine wearing shoes. The DCP said the officers shown in the circulating footage were walking through a common passage used by devotees to reach the shoe removal area.

The protesters, who were prevented from reaching Jantar Mantar, took refuge in Bangla Sahib. Police said they detained people who came from outside the premises.

DSGMC president Harmeet Singh Kalka said the policemen should not have entered the gurdwara premises in uniform. He said the policemen used the passage to detain the protesters but did not enter the Darbar Hall.

The fact-checking unit of the Press Information Bureau said the video, which it claimed showed police entering Bangla Sahib and sparking a major confrontation, was old. He urged people to verify footage before sharing.

A delegation of DSGMC officials, including president Harmeet Singh Kalka, lodged a complaint with the New Delhi District Superintendent of Police. The committee alleged that AAP workers and supporters entered the gurdwara premises and raised political slogans, disturbing the religious atmosphere.

Read also | Delhi Metro Update: DMRC says entry and exit of all stations is now open

“The protestors also raised political slogans inside the sacred premises, disturbed the religious atmosphere and violated the sanctity and maryad of the Guru Ghar. Such deliberate political activity inside the revered place of worship deeply hurt the religious sentiments of the Sikh Sangat,” the complaint said.

The DSGMC has asked the police to identify the people in the footage and investigate who organized their entry into the premises.

The complaint also accused AAP leaders and MLAs of circulating videos presenting a “distorted version” of the incident and blaming the gurdwara management.

“Arvind Kejriwal also publicly supported and amplified this narrative, despite the conduct of his party workers and the circumstances leading to the riots that were visible from the available material,” it said.

Delhi Police denies allegations about shoes at Bangla Sahib

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police has denied allegations that its personnel entered the main sanctum of the gurdwara wearing shoes.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Sachin Sharma, in a post on X, said the officers shown in the circulating footage were walking through a common passage used by devotees to reach the area where they take off their shoes.

Police said the video was circulated with “malicious intent” to inflame religious sentiments and disrupt community harmony, adding that legal action has been initiated against those responsible.

Kalka said the police personnel were not supposed to enter the gurdwara premises in uniform. He also said that the officers accompanying Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann were wearing shoes during the Chief Minister’s visit.

The DSGMC president alleged that the police personnel entering the premises to arrest the protesters used the passage but did not visit the Darbar Hall, the main shrine.

The protesters were hiding in the gurdwara as the police made the arrest

Hundreds of protesters, who were prevented from reaching Jantar Mantar, spent Saturday at Bangla Sahib near the Election Commission of India office.

Gurdwara staff said police were not allowed inside, although witnesses described an incident where police nearly entered the compound as protesters tried to return to avoid arrest.

Read also | CJP protest: What do BNSS sections 126, 170 mean? | Explained

Pilgrim Kamaljeet Singh said around 1,000 to 2,000 student protesters had arrived since Friday night. He claimed that the police had detained people who had left the premises.

Meanwhile, Delhi Police said they reached the area around 9 am and detained 50 to 60 people who came out. Barricades remained around the gurdwara as officers continued to make the arrests.

CJP leader calls on Sikhs to support anti-CEC protests

Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) co-organizer Saurav Das alleged that the Delhi Police entered Bangla Sahib with boots and weapons during the October 10 protests and detained the protesters. He also alleged that the officers pressured the gurdwara management to remove the protesters.

“Whoever is behaving like this with our Sikh brothers or a place of worship… The end of this government is very near. I request the Sikh brothers to help us and fight against them,” Das said.

Read also | ‘Ready for Season 2’: Viral faces of CJP’s July protest reunite amid CEC uproar

On Sunday, the fact-checking unit of the Press Information Bureau said a video it claims shows police entering Bangla Sahib and triggering a major confrontation is old, and urged users to verify the footage before sharing it.

The incident drew competing accusations from political parties, the gurdwara management and the police over the treatment of protesters and the circulation of videos from the premises.