In a fervent appeal for heightened safety measures, the All India Sikh Students’ Federation (AISSF) has formally requested the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to bolster security protocols surrounding the revered Golden Temple.
On Sunday, the federation addressed a letter to SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami, outlining critical security enhancements needed to safeguard the holy shrine. Among the key demands were the installation of metal detectors at entry points and the provision of advanced equipment for the SGPC’s security task force to conduct thorough inspections of visitors.
Karnail Singh Peer Mohammad, the AISSF’s patron and the general secretary of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), emphasized the urgency of these measures in light of a recent thwarted assassination attempt. On December 4, Sukhbir Badal, the SAD president, narrowly escaped an attack by a Sikh extremist while he was subject to a disciplinary reprimand by the Akal Takht—the highest temporal authority of Sikhism—for alleged missteps during his party’s decade-long governance from 2007 to 2017.
Peer Mohammad highlighted the insufficiency of current security arrangements, particularly given the substantial number of visitors and the potential for future incidents. “During the New Year’s celebrations, approximately half a million individuals flocked to the shrine. Not everyone present can be considered a devotee,” he stated. “We advocate for a collaborative effort with the Amritsar police to establish barricades that facilitate multi-layered security checks, including metal detectors and thorough frisking of all entrants.”
The call for enhanced security follows earlier recommendations by the SGPC’s executive body, which proposed the deployment of high-tech scanning machines at the Golden Temple’s entry points. This suggestion came after a series of low-intensity blasts disrupted Heritage Street, the main thoroughfare leading to the sacred site. Initially, two scanning devices were installed at the Ghanta Ghar entrance—the very location where Badal was targeted—but these were dismantled after a brief trial period due to widespread complaints about the inconvenience they caused devotees.
Rajinder Singh Mehta, former SGPC general secretary and a member of the security sub-committee formed post-blasts, revealed that the installation of scanners was abandoned following persistent feedback from worshippers who found the devices disruptive to their pilgrimage experience.
As the AISSF pushes for stricter security measures, the SGPC faces the challenge of balancing the sanctity and accessibility of the Golden Temple with the imperative need to ensure the safety of its visitors and leaders. The federation’s appeal underscores the ongoing tensions between maintaining an open place of worship and implementing necessary safeguards against potential threats.
With the New Year celebrations drawing large crowds and the recent assassination attempt fresh in memory, the call for reinforced security at one of Sikhism’s holiest sites resonates strongly among community leaders and devotees alike.
