HARIDWAR: The All India Sikh Conference's plan to forcibly occupy the site of Gurdwara Shri Gyan Godari Saheb near the Har-Ki-Pauri on Monday did not materialise as the police sealed all points of entry into the state and detained AISC president Sardar Gurcharan Singh Babbar along with hundreds of his supporters from Delhi and neighboring areas.
The group was stopped by the police when it attempted to enter into the state from Badiwala border at about 11.30am, Babbar said in a press release. The release also said the group was moving peacefully towards Har-Ki-Pauri when it was detained by the police. Haridwar SP Surjit Singh Panwar said there were over 100 people in the group.
In view the AISC threat, the area near Har-ki-Paudi, where the 450-year-old gurdwara stood, was cordoned off since early Monday morning. Heavy police force was deployed there under a deputy superintendent of police to ward off any trouble. Panwar told TOI that the Sikh leaders were persuaded not to foment trouble as the model code of conduct for the Lok Sabha polls was in force.
Members of the Sikh community have been agitating for the possession of the gurdwara site for the past four years. Despite several rounds of talks between the Uttarakhand administration and the members of the community, no conclusion has been reached.
The purohit community was opposed to the idea of construction of a gurdwara in the vicinity of Har-Ki-Pauri. The episode threatened to create communal disturbance in the area. Meanwhile, Babbar ruefully said if a temple and gurdwara can co-exist elsewhere, why not in Haridwar?
with thanks : Times of India : LINK
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