Amritsar, October 12, 2026: The controversy surrounding Delhi Police action at Gurdwara Sri Bangla Sahib reached Sri Akal Takht Sahib on Monday, with a delegation of Aam Aadmi Party legislators and leaders submitting a memorandum seeking intervention in the matter.
The delegation reached the Sri Akal Takht Sahib Secretariat in Amritsar and submitted a written representation addressed to Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj. As the Jathedar was not present at the Secretariat at the time, the memorandum was received on his behalf by his personal assistant.
AAP leaders said they had approached the Sikh temporal authority after videos from the October 10 developments at Bangla Sahib triggered a dispute over whether police personnel had violated the religious maryada of the gurdwara.
The party has alleged that police personnel entered areas of the gurdwara complex while wearing shoes and without covering their heads during action connected with protesters who had moved towards the religious premises. The delegation asked Sri Akal Takht Sahib to take cognisance of the allegations and examine whether Sikh religious protocol had been breached.
AAP representatives also sought accountability from the authorities responsible for the police operation and urged that clear safeguards be maintained so that the sanctity of gurdwaras is not affected during any future law-and-order action.
Delhi Police has, however, disputed the central allegation. Police authorities have maintained that personnel visible in the circulating video were walking through a common passage used by visitors before reaching the designated footwear-removal point, and not inside the main prayer area.
This distinction has become central to the controversy. While AAP leaders maintain that the conduct visible in the footage amounted to disrespect of religious protocol, police insist that the video does not show officers entering the main worship area while wearing footwear.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee has also expressed concern over the episode and stressed that the dignity, traditions and religious maryada of gurdwaras must be respected under all circumstances. It has called for clarity over what exactly occurred at the Delhi shrine.
The delegation’s visit to Amritsar has now formally brought the dispute before the Sri Akal Takht Sahib Secretariat. However, no final decision or directive from Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj on the memorandum has been announced so far.
The matter remains politically and religiously sensitive because it involves competing versions of events at one of Delhi’s most prominent Sikh shrines. Complete video footage and an examination of the exact route taken by police personnel are likely to remain important in determining what happened.
For now, AAP has placed its concerns before Sri Akal Takht Sahib, while Delhi Police continues to stand by its clarification regarding the location shown in the viral footage.
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