The Sindhi community has reiterated that they are Sanatani Hindus. The community was recently forced to return the Guru Granth Sahib and reassert their primary identity as Hindus. Under the guidance of Mahamandaleshwar Swami Hansram Udasin ji, National President of All India Sindhu Sant Samaj (AISSS), the Sindhi community returned Guru Granth Sahib to Sikhs in Rajasthan’s Kota, Beawar, Jodhpur, and other cities.

Sants and leaders of the Sindhi community said that Sikh extremists are against the Santani form and customs of our temples. They want to impose their Sikh customs on our temples which are not acceptable to us. They further emphasized that they are Sanatani Sindhis practising Hindu Dharma and follow Hindu rituals from birth to death hence such diktats from Sikhs would not be accepted.

“We will never tolerate the insult of our pranapratishtit murtis of Devis, Devatas, and Gurus consecrated in our temples. Performing aarti with lighted lamps, blowing the conch, playing the nagada (a musical instrument), and doing kirtans accompanied by dances and clapping of hands are core elements of our Puja rituals”, they emphasized.

They highlighted that Hindu Granthas were in existence thousands of years before Guru Granth Sahib. “The reading and recitals of Hindu Granthas have always been part of our temple rituals and the Sikh community has been a witness to it. However, in the last few years, members of the Sikh community have termed Sanatan Sindhi temple rituals as ‘beadbi’ to Guru Granth Sahib”, community leaders said while adding that Sikhs barge into Sindhi temples at their will and take away Guru Granth Sahib citing Sikh dignity (Maryada) as the reason.

Keeping all of this in view the AISSS trust passed a resolution on January 12 to hand over all the Guru Granth Sahibs to the Sikh community. The process of handing over is underway across several temples in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

On the evening of December 19, 2022, some Nihangs from the Fouz96 crori (‘Army of 96 crores’) armed with swords entered the Sindhi temple Shri Gurudham Sanatan Mandir in Indore, MP and began videotaping and misbehaving with women and other family members. They accused the Sindhi family of ‘disrespecting’ Guru Granth Sahib as the Sindhi family has kept Hindu Devi-Devtas Murtis alongside Guru Granth Sahib.

The Nihang extremists abused Hindu rituals as ‘Pakhand’ (fraud) and called Vigrahas/Murtis of Devi Devtas ‘But‘ (stones). They demanded that Sindhis remove Hindu Devi-Devta murtis or they would seize the Guru Granth Sahib. Several such incidents of Nihang Sikh highhandedness have come to the fore.

(Featured Image Source: Bhilwara Times)