Fact-Check: Golden Temple Notice Condemning Babbar Khalsa International Is Fake!

A Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee official clarified that the letter was fake and was not issued by SGPC.

A notice, purportedly issued by Sri Harmandir Sahib, popularly known as the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab has gone viral on the internet.

What does the notice say?: The notice condemns "any form of terrorism by Babbar Khalsa International (BKI)," a pro-Khalistan militant organisation, and other organisations using "Sikh religion to defame India."

• It says that the religion does not need "any coward agents" who reside abroad and demand "justice or a separate nation" for Sikhs, referring to the Khalistan movement.

• Calling out "anti-Indian intentions," the notice highlights that a "majority of Punjab still resides in Pakistan," but the "terrorist organizations never demanded the larger Punjab" there and also kept quiet when the community was under attack in Afghanistan.

• Notifying all international Gurdwaras from supporting "anti-Indian movement," it requests the Indian Sikh community to follow a "democratic path to achieve any political aspirations" for India.

Among others, former actor and talk show host Simi Garewal shared this notice on her X account.

(Archives of more claims can be seen here, here and here.)

Is it true?: No, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee (SGPC), the organisation that manages Sikh places of worship, has not issued any such notice.

• The Quint reached out to SGPC and an official clarified that the notice was "fake."

How did we find out?:

• We looked for news reports on the Golden Temple which mentioned a notice of this kind, but did not come across any credible articles.

• The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee (SGPC) is a body which is responsible for the management of Sikh places of worship in Punjab, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh. It manages Sri Harmandir Sahib as well.

• We checked the SGPC's website for any announcements or notices like the one mentioned in the claim, but did not find it there.

• The SGPC had not shared any relevant posts on their social media accounts on X, Facebook or Instagram while writing this article.

• We reached out to the SPGC and an official clarified that they had not issued any such notice.

"It is fake. No such official document has been issued by us. It has been done a mischievous entity. If any kind of message has to be circulated or floated, it is done on our official handles through the platform of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee, that is SGPC, which is the management organisation of Sri Harmandir Sahib."

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee Official

"We strongly condemn this act, whoever has done this, but it has not been done through this organisation," he added. The official told us that the SGPC would also issue a public statement concerning the fake notice.

Conclusion: A fake notice with the Golden Temple's letterhead is being shared to claim that they condemned BKI, calling it a "terrorist organisation."

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