Case registered against Instagram Influencer for doing Yoga at Golden Temple

In response to a female Instagram influencer who practiced yoga at Sri Darbar Sahib, also known as the Golden Temple Amritsar, the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee filed a police complaint on Saturday. The incident sparked outrage among the Sikh community.

Additionally, the SGPC has penalized three "sewadars,"  for neglecting their duties in the Darbar Sahib "Parikrama" by permitting the woman to practice yoga on June 21, the International Day of Yoga. “After verifying through the CCTV cameras, it was found that she performed yoga exercises at 7.04 a.m. after entering the premises at 6.57 a.m. She spent almost an hour in the 'Parikrama' but she had not paid a reverence during her stay,” said SPGC President Harjinder Singh Dhami.

He continued and said, “No one can be allowed to act against Sikh conduct at the Golden Temple but some people deliberately ignore the sanctity and historical importance of this holy place and commit objectionable acts”. Dhami stated in an appeal that pilgrims from all walks of life and faiths come to pay their respects at Harmandir Sahib, which is held in high regard among Sikhs. Considering it, one should adhere to the location's “Maryada." According to Bhagwant Singh Dhangera, general manager of Darbar Sahib, the woman's actions offended Sikhs and the “sangat."

Archana Makwana, the influencer and fashion designer, however, has apologized for her actions and stated that she never intended to hurt anyone’s religious sentiment. Later, in a story posted on her Instagram handle, Makwana apologized for her conduct and said, “I posted something without intending to harm anyone’s religious sentiments. I was unaware that practicing yoga in the Gurdwara Sahib premises could be offensive to some as I was just paying my respect to him and did not mean any harm to anyone.”

If we talk about the Sikh Gurudwara Prabhandhak committee, it has a long past of its own. Following the British occupation of Punjab, there was an abrupt increase in the activities of Christian missionaries. This prompted the Singh Sabha movement among Sikhs to stop what was then called the "degradation of Sikh thought and principles" in day-to-day life. A culmination of this activism was the establishment of Khalsa College in Amritsar in 1892. But "mahants" (priests) who had the unspoken backing of the British government continued to hold power over the Golden Temple and gurdwaras. 

In defiance of Sikhism's precepts, these "mahants" frequently treated the gurdwaras as their fiefdoms promoted idolatry, and discriminated against Dalits. Following extensive deliberation among the community's intellectual elite, a large assembly was convened in Jallianwala Bagh on October 12, 1920, to regain Dalit Sikhs' entitlement to present parshad at the Golden Temple. The gathered people quickly made their way to the Golden Temple and expelled the mahants who lacked widespread backing.

On the same day, a 25-person committee led by Dalit Sikhs was established. This committee helped the community members organize, which ultimately resulted in the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), a 175-member organization, being formed on November 15, 1920.

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee in the past made headlines when it demanded an apology from journalist Tavleen Singh for the publication of her article titled “India’s Canadian Problem” in The Sunday Express newspaper. The SGPC accused the article of containing false propaganda against Guru Gobind Singh and Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and started a heated debate on historical interpretation.  Nonetheless, further response is awaited from the SGPC after the influencer issued an apology. This column will be updated accordingly. Archana Makwana, the influencer and fashion designer, however, has apologized for her actions and stated that she never intended to hurt anyone’s religious sentiment.