The Sikh community has objected to the release of a booklet by the PM, titled ‘Sri Kashi Vishwanath Dham Ka Gauravshali Itihas’ (history of Kashi Vishwanath Dham), saying it distorts Sikh history.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) in a presser said that the booklet talks about the connection between Sikhism and Kashi, which is misrepresented.
The booklet states that the Panj Piaras (five beloved ones) through whom the Khalsa Panth was founded by Guru Gobind Singh (10th Guru) were sent to Kashi to gain full knowledge of the Sanatan Dharm and to protect it. The booklet also states that Sikh faith was established to protect the Sanatan Dharm from the Mughals.
The media secretary of SGPC media secretary Kulwinder Singh Ramdas said both these statements are factually incorrect.
“As a matter of fact, the Khalsa Panth was formed to protect religious values and human rights against oppression, tyranny and injustice and not to protect the Sanatan Dharm. Secondly, the five Sikhs sent to Kashi are totally different from the Panj Piaras who offered heads at the time of the formation of the Khalsa at Sri Anandpur Sahib,” Ramdas said