‘Cannot be at the cost of public trust’: Prominent citizens seek independent probe into police entry at Bangla Sahib during anti-EC stir in Delhi

Seventeen former officials and public figures, including ex-Delhi lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung and former chief election commissioner S Y Quraishi, have expressed “serious concern” over the entry of police into Gurudwara Bangla Sahib during the October 10 protests, and sought an independent, time-bound inquiry, in a letter dated October 11.Security personnel stand guard outside the entrance gate of Gurdwara Bangla Sahib during an agitation called by Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over alleged electoral roll irregularities, in New Delhi. (PTI)The letter, addressed to the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi and the Delhi Police Commissioner, was issued by Citizens for Fraternity - Bharat (CFF-Bharat), with copies to the Prime Minister, the Union Home Minister and the chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities.“Places of worship must not become extensions of police operations during public demonstrations,” the letter, also signed by former Chief Justice of the Patna high court Iqbal Ahmed Ansari, said. CFF-Bharat is an informal group of citizens working to promote fraternity, dialogue and social harmony, and Jung is its chairman. Its letterhead describes its aim as promoting harmony, dialogue, constitutional values and fraternity.The row stems from the October 10 demonstrations called by the Cockroach Janta Party against chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The protests were linked to demands for his resignation, and security was tightened across the capital.Bangla Sahib, near Connaught Place, is among the most visited Sikh shrines in the capital. The letter says its “longstanding tradition of offering refuge and assistance to all” must not be compromised by the pressures of political confrontation.Visitors remove their footwear before entering a Sikh place of worship, and entering with shoes on is considered disrespectful. That is why the footage of police personnel at the shrine drew sharp reactions, and why the letter says the sanctity and autonomy of such places deserve “the highest degree of respect”.The row explainedVideos on social media alleged that Delhi police personnel entered the shrine premises wearing shoes during preventive security operations. The clips spread quickly and made the question of police presence at a religious site part of the debate around the protests.Police said the footage showed personnel walking along a common passage that leads to the area where visitors remove their shoes. It called the claims misleading and said they were circulated with “malicious intent”. The cops later registered an FIR on the basis of a complaint by the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, naming AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and other party leaders over the protest and the videos.Not everyone reads the row the same way. One analysis argued that footage of personnel in the common passage was quickly turned into a political charge that police had entered a gurudwara. The FIR also adds a legal track to the demand for an inquiry.Two questions are now running together. One is factual, whether personnel crossed the footwear point, which police deny and say their own video shows. The other is about judgment, whether police presence in or near the shrine complex was needed at all. The letter speaks to the second.What the letter saysThe letter takes note of the police clarification, but says it does not resolve the “fundamental question” of whether entry into a revered religious institution was necessary, justified and carried out with appropriate restraint.It calls for an “independent, transparent and time-bound inquiry” into the circumstances of police entry and the extent of the intervention. The inquiry should also examine any objections raised by the Gurudwara authorities and whether established religious protocols were followed, it adds.The signatories accept that the State has an “unquestionable duty” to maintain public order. But, they say, its powers must be exercised within constitutional limits, “with sensitivity to religious practices and respect for human dignity”.They also urged Delhi Police to issue clear operational guidelines, in consultation with religious management bodies. The aim, the letter says, is to prevent “unnecessary police intrusion into places of worship”.“Public order cannot be maintained at the cost of public trust, religious dignity or constitutional freedoms,” the letter says. The signatories expect the authorities to address their concerns promptly and to make the findings and corrective measures public.