Saptrishi Soni
A fresh flashpoint has emerged in the increasingly strained relationship between the Punjab government and Sikh religious institutions after devotees visiting the Golden Temple under the Punjab government’s Mukhyamantri Teerth Yatra Yojana were reportedly asked to remove identity cards bearing the photograph of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann before entering the shrine’s sanctum.
The incident, which unfolded on Saturday at the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar, has once again brought into focus the ongoing standoff between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Punjab government and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), against the backdrop of recent religious and political controversies.
According to SGPC officials, members of the SGPC Task Force requested pilgrims wearing government-issued identity cards featuring the Chief Minister’s photograph to remove or conceal them while inside the marble parikrama surrounding the Harmandir Sahib.
Officials maintained that the action was not directed at individual devotees but was in keeping with the long-standing tradition that prohibits political publicity or promotional material within the precincts of the Sikh shrine.
An SGPC functionary said that there was no justification for displaying identification cards carrying political imagery inside the gurdwara, adding that the sanctity of the shrine requires it to remain free from political messaging, irrespective of the party or government involved.
Videos circulating widely on social media showed volunteers of the SGPC Task Force requesting several pilgrims to remove the cards before proceeding towards the sanctum. The videos quickly triggered political debate, with supporters and critics of the Punjab government offering sharply contrasting interpretations of the incident.
The identity cards had been issued to beneficiaries travelling under the Mukhyamantri Teerth Yatra Yojana, a Punjab government welfare initiative that provides free pilgrimage to recognised religious destinations for residents of the state aged 50 years and above.
The latest episode comes against the backdrop of an already tense relationship between the Mann government and the Sikh clergy.
Last month, the Akal Takht, the highest temporal authority of the Sikh community, declared Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann “Guru Dokhi” (one accused of acting against the Guru) and “Khalsa Panth Virodhi” (one acting against the interests of the Khalsa Panth) over a controversial video that religious authorities described as objectionable.
Mann has consistently denied the allegation, maintaining that the individual seen in the disputed video was not him but someone wearing a facial mask resembling his appearance. He has also stated on previous occasions that he respects the authority of the Akal Takht while rejecting allegations that he intended to undermine Sikh religious institutions.
The disagreement has unfolded alongside another major dispute over the Punjab government’s Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026. While the government has defended the legislation as a landmark step aimed at introducing stringent punishment, including life imprisonment, for acts of sacrilege against the Guru Granth Sahib, the Akal Takht and the SGPC have objected to several provisions of the law.
The Sikh clergy has argued that aspects of the legislation were enacted without adequate consultation with the Sikh Panth and has called upon the government to amend provisions it believes encroach upon matters falling within the religious authority of Sikh institutions.
Political observers view the latest controversy at the Golden Temple as another visible manifestation of the broader contest between the state’s elected government and influential Sikh religious bodies over questions of institutional authority, religious autonomy and public perception.
Neither the Punjab government nor the Chief Minister’s Office issued an immediate response to Saturday’s incident. The SGPC, meanwhile, has maintained that its actions were guided solely by established religious protocols intended to preserve the apolitical character and sanctity of the Golden Temple complex.
As debates over religious authority and governance continue in Punjab, incidents such as these are likely to remain at the centre of the state’s evolving political and religious discourse, particularly as both institutions seek to assert their respective roles before the Sikh community.
