'Sikhs Should Not Keep Holy Granth Sahib At Home': Satikar Committee Chief Balbir Singh Muchhal

Satikar Committee Chief Balbir Singh Muchhal:Guru Granth Sahib Bir was taken away from Jaswant Singh’s house in village Bassi Jalal of Hoshiarpur giving a reason that the owner of the house was a meat eater.

A day after a team of Amritsar-based Siri Guru Granth Sahib Satikar Committee removed Bir of Guru Granth Sahib from the house of a former Khalsa College principal,Jaswant Singh (78), the Head of this Committee said that he is against Sikhs keeping the holy book at their homes.

Balbir Singh Muchhal, who heads Siri Guru Granth Sahib Satikar Committee, said: “If any Sikh wants to do path of Guru Granth Sahib then he or she can do it at a nearby gurdwara. There is no need of installing Guru Sahib at homes. It is almost impossible to follow all the decorum to install Guru Granth Sahib at home. So it is better that Sikhs stop this practice.”

Balbir Singh Muchhal, who is also the founder member this Satikar Committee which was among the first to be set up in Punjab, added: “I have been working with Satikar Committee for the last 25 years. We keep a check if anyone is causing disrespect to Guru Granth Sahib in anyway. Whenever we conduct some action, we inform the local police and administration in advance. 

We were first to launch this Committee. Now there are countless committees across the state. We have found people keeping Guru Granth Sahib at places where Guru Sahib shouldn’t be. There is need for strict action to stop this disrespect caused to Guru Granth Sahib.”

Over the years, many Satikar Committees have mushroomed not only in the state but also in foreign countries. Such Committees often take police along with them during self-styled raids, make videos.

Villages often have “marian” (place to remember ancestors) where Guru Granth Sahib remains installed. However, Satikar Committees do not approve this.

Muchhal defends such actions: “We have blessings and order from Guru Granth Sahib. Guru himself is taking seva from us. We have been implementing the code of conduct approved by Akal Takht.”

https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/sikhs-should-not-keep-holy-granth-sahib-at-home-satikar-committee-chief-6551483/