India Army says no air defence guns were deployed within Golden Temple
The Indian Army on Tuesday (May 20, 2025) said that no air defence guns had been deployed within the premises of the Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib), the central place for worship for the Sikhs in Punjab's Amritsar.
The clarification came following media reports regarding the deployment of air defence guns in the Golden Temple. 'It is clarified that no AD (air defence) guns or any other AD resource was deployed within the premises of Sri Darbar Sahib Amritsar - the Golden Temple,' an official statement said.
Earlier in the day, the additional head Granthi (priest) of Golden Temple termed - the recent remark made by Indian Army Lieutenant General Sumer Ivan D'Cunha during a news interview, where he reportedly stated that air defence guns were deployed at the Golden Temple during the recent India-Pakistan conflict- as 'untrue'.
In a statement, Giani Amarjeet said, 'The management of Sri Harmandar Sahib had cooperated with the district administration's guidelines regarding the city-wide blackout by switching off exterior and upper lights of the complex within the specified time frame. However, lights at locations where religious code of conduct (Maryada) is observed were kept on, and the sanctity of the religious place was maintained with full responsibility.'
He added, 'The claim made by the Army officer that the 'Head Granthi' gave permission for the deploying air defence guns during 'Operation Sindhoor' is completely false. No such permission was ever granted, nor was any such deployment allowed at this sacred site.'
Golden Temple's Head Granthi (chief priest), Giani Raghbir Singh, who was on an international visit during the Army operation, said, 'There was no communication with him regarding any gun deployment, nor did any such incident occur at Sri Darbar Sahib.'
Harjinder Singh Dhami, president of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), which controls and manages historical Sikh gurdwaras in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh, also said there was no contact from any Army official regarding the installation of air defence guns at Harmandar Sahib.
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