Denied rites at gurdwara after mother's death, says Sikh family in Germany

Time of India

31-07-2025

Amritsar: A Sikh family has alleged that Gurdwara Singh Sabha in Singen, Germany, refused them the right to perform Bhog and Antim Ardas there after the death of their mother.
The grieving family has approached Akal Takht, seeking the intervention of the Jathedar, even as the Singen gurdwara management said that the family was stopped from entering the gurdwara on the directions of local police.
The controversy has sent shockwaves through the Sikh diaspora.
Balwinder Singh, a resident of Singen for over four decades, said that brothers Daljit Singh and Paramjit Singh approached the local gurdwara to hold the Antim Ardas and Bhog ceremony for their mother, but the management denied them.
The letter, written by the 'entire Sikh sangat' of Singen, says, "Regrettably, due to personal grudges, the current gurdwara committee denied permission to hold this religious ceremony.
This decision is not only unjust and against Sikh values, but also a clear violation of Sikh Rehat Maryada (Sikh code of religious conduct) and Gurmat principles."
Balwinder Singh said that the sangat spoke with the gurdwara management committee and asked them to reconsider, reminding them of the core Sikh values of compassion and inclusion. "But the committee didn't listen or show any intention to resolve the issue with understanding or care," he alleged.
Davinder Singh, president of Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Singen, told TOI that the management committee stopped the family from holding the ceremony on directions from the local police. He claimed that the persons involved had previously clashed with members of the sangat and caused disturbances, prompting police to advise the management not to allow them entry to the gurdwara.
Balwinder Singh said that the family brought a granthi from another Gurdwara, nearly 150km away, to perform the Antim Ardas and Bhog. "We have now requested the Jathedar of Akal Takht to investigate the incident, summon the gurdwara management to the Akal Takht, and deliver justice," he said.
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