El Sobrante Gurdwara Committee Troubles Continue - Police enters main darbar with shoes
El Sobrante, California (June 24, 2013)–Another fight broke out yesterday at the renowned Gurdwara here. The current committee is to be forced out due to a court order expected shortly. The court order was issued because bylaws were not followed when the current committee was chosen without support from the general sangat. The committee was chosen at a private function without support from the general body.
Over time, they have tried to manipulate the bylaws of the Gurdwara by forcing all future candidates to be approved by the current incumbents.
This past Sunday the members of the sangat called a general body meeting to discuss these issues and to get the keys to the gurdwara from the old committee. The sangat members were supposed to speak at 11 but the committee told the raagis to keep doing keertan and not stop the simran. Private security was also hired by the committee to ensure nobody could take the stage. Bhai Parpal Singh continued until the power to the gurdwara was shut off at 12:30 PM.
The committee members’ families began pushing people around and arguing loudly in the main hall.
Sukhasan was done and a new saroop was brought down immediately so that an Akhand Patt could start in the main hall to thwart any meeting. The sangat was forced to proceed with the meeting outside in the rain. They discussed how the committee would not allow the general body to meet as was lawful according to the bylaws.
Police arrived to help keep the peace and went inside the darbar hall with shoes on and without their heads covered. Sangat pleaded with the head granthi, Bhai Makhan Singh to do sukhasan to preserve Guru Sahib’s respect but the response was that it will be done when Makhan Singh wants it to happen.
The current committee was not involved in the meeting outside but the sangat talked about what happened in court and how the previous president of the Gurdwara had a panic attack in court during proceedings.
The sangat also spoke about how a current committee member is accused of embezzling $125,000 from the Gurdwara funds by misusing a local contractor’s license to pay a business that was suspended. The sangat decided to meet again next Sunday in order to resolve the issues and force the current committee to leave.
The Vice Mayor of the City of Richmond, Corky Booze, was also at the meeting and was appalled at the behavior by the current committee. “Everyone has a right to speak.. nobody can tell you you can’t speak,” he said.
Prabhjot Singh, a local community member added, “It was a really sad event, sad for the Sikh community, especially the local community, and everything being done by the current committee is not in line with Sikh principles.”