In its report, the Committee concluded that a separate Gurdwara committee was the right of Sikhs in Haryana, as the Amritsar-based Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) controlled by SAD (Badal), was deliberately not involving Sikhs from Haryana in the management of Gurdwaras in the state. The Sunday Express has a copy of the report, which the Government claims not to have received yet.
However, while Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has been saying that his Government would take further action on the formation of a separate Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee for the state after the report of the Chatha Committee is submitted, the fact remains that the committee had submitted its final report to the Chief Minister last year.
A senior Government functionary told The Indian Express that Committee chairman Chatha personally met Hooda last year and handed over the report in a sealed cover. The report dated March 7, 2007 is numbered 140-N/2007 and carries the signatures of all the members. However, following intervention from the Congress high command, the Chief Minister returned the report to Chatha, asking him to wait. Despite repeated attempts, neither Hooda nor Chatha were available for their comments.
A total of 1,28,556 Sikhs submitted representations to the committee in favour of a separate Gurdwara committee for Haryana. The report said there was not a single voice against the demand.
Formation of a separate Gurdwara panel for Haryana was part of the Congress manifesto for 2005 Assembly polls. According to sources, Hooda was directed by the Union Government and the Congress central leadership not to take any steps to implement the report as it could lead to fresh trouble between Punjab and Haryana.
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