-The Sikh community living abroad is very angry and upset with the behaviour of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who has tried to undermine Sikh institutions and has also tarnished the religious image of Sikhs. This was disclosed here today. Satnam Singh Chahal, Executive Director of the North American Punjabi Association (NAPA), strongly condemned the Punjab government’s contradictory and shifting position on the deeply sensitive issue of the ‘missing saroops’. Holding Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann directly responsible, NAPA demands his immediate resignation for failing to uphold transparency, accountability, and respect for Sikh religious sentiments.
Chahal further said that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann recently announced that 139 of the total 328 ‘missing saroops’ had been found, a statement that has shocked and disturbed the Sikh community across Punjab and the global diaspora. NAPA stated that this sudden disclosure raises serious questions about where these sacred saroops were kept, under whose custody, and why this information was withheld for so long.
Following the Punjab government’s clear U-turn on the issue, Rasokhana Shri Nabh Kanwal Raja Sahib has now come into sharp focus. NAPA demanded a transparent explanation regarding the role, records, and official handling connected to this site, stating that continued silence or ambiguity only deepens public mistrust and panthic pain.
Chahal said the issue of missing saroops cannot be treated as an administrative lapse or a political inconvenience. “This is a matter of faith, conscience, and collective Sikh identity. Announcements made without full disclosure insult the intelligence and sentiments of the Sikh sangat,” he asserted.
NAPA described the government’s handling of the matter as deeply insensitive and irresponsible, emphasising that changing versions and partial revelations have eroded the moral authority of the Chief Minister. “A government that cannot protect the sanctity of Sikh scriptures or provide consistent answers has lost the right to govern,” Chahal stated.
Chahal while cconcluding said that NAPA will raise this issue at international Sikh and human rights forums until truth, transparency, and justice are delivered. “This is not a political campaign; it is a fight to protect the sanctity of Sikh heritage and panthic dignity,” he said