DSGMC president Harmeet Singh Kalka submitted the complaint on Sunday to the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police, New Delhi district, alleging that protesters had violated the sanctity of the Sikh shrine during Saturday’s demonstrations demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The committee accused AAP supporters of entering the gurdwara premises, raising political slogans and subsequently circulating misleading videos that portrayed the incident inaccurately and damaged the reputation of the religious institution.
Kalka said the alleged conduct had hurt Sikh sentiments and demanded action against those responsible. A delegation accompanying him submitted video footage purportedly showing protesters inside the complex.
The complaint requested police to identify individuals appearing in the recordings, establish who organised and directed their movements and determine whether the disturbance was deliberately orchestrated.
The DSGMC alleged that political slogans were raised within the sacred premises, disturbing the religious atmosphere and violating the established code of conduct, known as maryada, governing worship at Sikh gurdwaras.
It also accused AAP legislators and other party representatives of distributing selective recordings on social media while blaming the gurdwara management for the confrontation.
Kejriwal was specifically accused of endorsing and amplifying that account despite what the committee described as evidence concerning the conduct of party supporters.
The allegations remain disputed, and the filing of a complaint does not establish wrongdoing by Kejriwal or any other individual named.
The controversy arose when protesters attempting to reach Jantar Mantar during demonstrations against the Election Commission encountered police restrictions and some entered the gurdwara complex.
Police subsequently detained protesters from the area, triggering accusations that officers had entered a place of worship improperly.
AAP leaders challenged the police operation, alleging that personnel entered the gurdwara to apprehend demonstrators who had sought shelter there.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann condemned the police action, arguing that gurdwaras traditionally provide refuge to people requiring protection and assistance.
Mann maintained that protesters seeking shelter should have been accommodated by sevadars, the volunteers who serve worshippers and visitors at Sikh shrines.
His intervention placed the conduct of police personnel alongside the protesters’ activities at the centre of the dispute.
Kalka acknowledged concerns about the police presence but distinguished between officers entering the gurdwara complex and entering its principal prayer hall.
He said Delhi Police personnel had used a passage within the premises while pursuing protesters but had not entered the Darbar Hall, where religious observances take place.
Nevertheless, Kalka maintained that uniformed police personnel should not have entered the religious premises.
He separately alleged that police officers accompanying Mann during a visit to Bangla Sahib had worn shoes, raising another question concerning observance of religious protocols.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Sachin Sharma offered an explanation of the police movement on Saturday.
Sharma said officers had passed through a common passage used by devotees to reach the designated area where footwear is removed before entering the shrine.
He disputed the portrayal of the operation in videos circulated online and alleged that footage had been distributed with malicious intent.
The officer indicated that legal action would be pursued against those responsible for circulating misleading material.
The competing accounts have left several questions concerning the precise location of the police intervention, the protesters’ activities and the circumstances surrounding their detention.
The DSGMC maintained that its complaint concerned both the alleged political activity inside the shrine and the subsequent presentation of the incident through social media recordings.
It expressed concern that the disruption and circulation of selective footage could have been intended to provoke religious sentiments and undermine the gurdwara management.
The committee sought an investigation into those possibilities rather than limiting police scrutiny to individuals physically present during the confrontation.
Saturday’s demonstrations formed part of the Cockroach Janta Party-led mobilisation demanding Kumar’s resignation over allegations concerning electoral rolls and the Election Commission’s functioning.
The Election Commission has rejected allegations of electoral manipulation.
Security restrictions around central Delhi prevented several groups of demonstrators from reaching their intended protest venue at Jantar Mantar.
The Bangla Sahib complex, situated near Connaught Place, became one of the locations where protesters encountered police personnel during the restrictions imposed across the capital.
