DSGMC Blames AAP for Disrupting Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, Files Police Complaint Against Arvind Kejriwal

Delhi’s Sikh body, the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), has erupted in protest of a recent demonstration that it says was staged by workers of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) outside the iconic Gurudwara Bangla Sahib. Harmeet Singh Kalka, the committee’s president, told reporters on Sunday that the episode has left "great resentment" within the Sikh community.

According to Kalka, a handful of AAP volunteers slipped into the busy thoroughfare that hugs the Gurudwara, unfurled banners, held up placards and began shouting slogans. While the activists did not actually step onto the sanctum’s steps, the committee argues that the very act of using the holy precinct as a political stage tarnishes its sanctity.

“We have taken strict action against those involved and have lodged a police complaint against the party’s supremo, Arvind Kejriwal,” Kalka said, adding that a few uniformed police officers had also entered the vicinity. He insisted that the Delhi police be instructed not to appear in uniform inside the "Guru Ghar", a term devotees use for the shrine.

The DSGMC’s objection is not to the right of citizens to protest, but to the location of the protest. Kalka emphasized that thousands – in fact, lakhs – of devotees have visited the Gurudwara over the past three days without any hindrance. "We will not stop people from coming here, but we will not allow any demonstration inside the sacred premises," he warned.

Adding fuel to the fire, Kalka accused AAP leaders, including Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, of circulating incomplete or misleading information on social media. Posts, he claimed, suggested that police had entered the Gurudwara, a claim he says is untrue because no officer set foot on the shrine’s steps.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has also weighed in. Party spokesperson and former Delhi MLA R.P. Singh sent a letter to the National Commission for Minorities, urging it to intervene. Singh alleged that AAP cadres, together with members of left‑leaning student groups, used the sacred site for political rallies, slogan‑shouting and placard‑display – activities he says are wholly inappropriate for a place of worship.

The letter, addressed to Commission Chairman Sardar Harjit Singh Grewal, painted a picture of “political gatherings” taking place inside one of Delhi’s most revered Sikh shrines. The BJP’s move underscores how the incident has become a flashpoint in the city’s already charged political climate.

As of now, the police complaint against Kejriwal is pending investigation. Both the DSGMC and the BJP have urged authorities to respect the religious sentiments attached to Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, insisting that any future political activity be confined to public streets, not holy grounds.