Guru Granth Sahib's holy 'saroops' brought back to India from Qatar

The Guru Granth Sahib holy saroops, the religious scripture of Sikhism, were brought back to Amritsar from Qatar. The Doha Police agreed to return the seized Guru Granth Sahib holy saroops after the intervention of India’s external affairs ministry. The saroops were handed to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Wednesday night.

The SGPC Secretary Partap Singh was informed on Wednesday night that the holy saroops were being brought back by a flight to Sri Guru Ramdas Jee International Airport, Amritsar. Hearing the news, SGPC sent a palanquin carriage vehicle and brought the saroops following the Maryada (Sikh protocol) to Gurdwara Baba Gurbakhsh Singh in Amritsar.

MEA official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal thanked the Qatar government and requested that all Indians living in foreign countries follow the local laws.

Reason for seizure

Reportedly the seizure was a result of running an unauthorized religious establishment. The Doha police arrested an Indian national Sikh man along with the seizure of two holy ‘saroops’ in December 2023. However, the man was released, but the saroops were kept at Al Wakara police station in Doha.

The matter came to the attention of SGPC when Akal Takht jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh directed them towards the report of the Bhai Kanhaiya Humanitarian Aid,  who covered the case.

Following this, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami sought help from the Ministry. He wrote to external affairs minister S Jaishankar and the Indian envoy in Qatar. Later, Qatar authorities agreed to hand over the holy saroops after government intervention.

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