Groups of Sikh priests have protested an order that could disbar men under the age of 30 and over 60 years to be employed in gurdwaras across Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.
The priests have been angered by the new plan of the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee, the apex Sikh shrines management body. The plan is to sack all priests who do not fall within the new age stipulation. This could mean job losses for scores of priests, they said.
SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar had recently endorsed the new recruitment rules for granthis and paathis (hymn singers) following complaints against younger priests. These ranged from moral turpitude to several instances of devotee collections in gurdwaras.
Insisting there could be no compromise on maintaining the sanctity of the shrines, Mr Makkar called for a list of all Gurdwara employees below 30 years and ordered a thorough verification of each man’s antecedents.
The committee has also sought a fresh appraisal of each priest’s character, conduct, his knowledge of the holy scripture and efficiency in performing various religious rites.
Courtesy : CathNewsIndia
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1 comment:
Dear Mr.Makkar,
It's more than enough, if you could thoroughly verify, the antecedents of the Gurdwara staff, without limiting any age. Removing persons of less than 30 or more than 60 will not serve any purpose.
regards
SikhsIndia
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