Chawla Case: Harpreet Singh Alleges Woman Was Brought to Defame Him, Says 'Bomb Exploded in Their Own Hands'
Giani Harpreet Singh alleges a woman was brought to defame him. Amarjit Singh Chawla case: FIR details, SGPC action, Akal Takht expulsion and timeline.
North Desk Correspondent
Chandigarh, September 21
Former Akal Takht jathedar and Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjit) chief Giani Harpreet Singh on Monday alleged that a woman was brought from abroad and given facilities and accommodation in the SGPC to be used against him, but said the plan had failed.
“This bomb exploded in their own hands because we had the blessings of our elders and the Guru’s grace, which protected us,” he told journalists after a core committee meeting of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjit). He was speaking on the rape case against Amarjit Singh Chawla, a day after the Akal Takht expelled Chawla from the Khalsa Panth.
Harpreet Singh said the woman was brought by a “youth leader” with the intention of tarnishing his character. He did not name the leader or offer evidence. Chawla, who resigned last week as SGPC member and SAD senior vice-president, denies the allegations. No response from the SGPC, the Akal Takht or the Badal-led SAD was available at the time of writing.
What Harpreet Singh said
Amarjit Singh Chawla Rape Case: He alleged that the woman was brought to take revenge for the December 2 edicts, and that blame is now being placed on one man to conceal the whole conspiracy.
He asked how a woman could stay for six months in a Guru Ghar sarai, enjoying all facilities, without the SGPC president knowing. He said that if Harjinder Singh Dhami was genuinely unaware, he was not fit for the office and should resign immediately.
The FIR, as reported, records a stay of several months. He also said it was surprising that the jathedar of Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib had expressed ignorance of the incident, adding that the incumbent should know what happens in the Takht’s administration.
On the decision against Chawla, he said he did not wish to comment, but that it was taken in haste. According to Sikh religious conduct, he said, the accused should first have been given a chance to respond.
He said Chawla, who is currently abroad, is claiming he was made a scapegoat because all leaders knew why the woman was brought. He asked why, despite an FIR, the accused was given enough freedom to leave the country. He also asked that if the government knows which leaders invited the woman and for what purpose, why it was making allegations at press conferences instead of holding an impartial investigation.
“We demand that the government constitute an SIT headed by a retired judge and conduct a high-level investigation, because we no longer have any expectation of a fair inquiry from the SGPC,” he said.
He announced that party jathas, led by district presidents, will submit memorandums to the head granthi of Sri Darbar Sahib and offer ardas at the Akal Takht for 11 consecutive days, seeking the resignation of those responsible. Party leaders including general secretary Gurpartap Singh Wadala, Prem Singh Chandumajra and senior vice-president Parminder Singh Dhindsa attended.
Amarjit Singh Chawla Rape Case: What the FIR says
Amarjit Singh Chawla Rape Case: The FIR was registered at Anandpur Sahib police station on August 21, names Chawla as the accused and records alleged incidents between February 27 and August 19, including one at a yatri niwas in Anandpur Sahib. The complainant, a woman from Punjab’s Malwa region, alleges sexual exploitation, threats and pressure, and has reportedly recorded a statement before a judicial magistrate. She alleges she was held captive and raped at a serai. The case is under BNS Sections 64, 127(2) and 351(2), covering rape, wrongful confinement and criminal intimidation.
Akal Takht additional head granthi Malkit Singh and Mohan Singh, a driver at Takht Kesgarh Sahib, are named in the complaint over vulgar messages. They are not named as accused in the FIR. The SGPC suspended both and directed its Flying Department to hold an inquiry.
Who else the complaint mentions
Amarjit Singh Chawla Rape Case: The woman says she informed SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal’s personal assistant Avtar Singh, Dhami’s personal assistant Satbir Singh and SGPC deputy secretary Shahbaz Singh that Chawla was assaulting her.
She also alleges that she repeatedly told Akal Takht jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj and that no action followed. The FIR also records a stay of several months in different SGPC-run sarais, though rooms are generally allotted for up to three days.
Amarjit Chawla’s response
Amarjit Singh Chawla Rape Case: In a video, Chawla had called the allegations false and fabricated, alleged a conspiracy against him and said he would prove his innocence in court. He resigned from the SGPC and as SAD senior vice-president, saying he would not resume either until a court cleared his name.
The investigation
Amarjit Singh Chawla Rape Case: After the incident created a furore, Ropar SSP Maninder Singh said that evidence was being collected and no arrest had been made. Police have not publicly clarified Chawla’s status or whether any notice has been issued to him.
Timeline
- Feb 27 to Aug 19: period of alleged incidents recorded in the FIR
- Aug 21: FIR registered at Anandpur Sahib police station
- Sept 16: FIR reported; Chawla releases video and resigns
- Sept 17-18: SGPC suspends Malkit Singh and Mohan Singh
- Sept 18: no arrest, as reported
- Sept 20: Akal Takht expels Chawla and Malkit Singh
- Sept 21: Harpreet Singh alleges a woman was brought to defame him, demands SIT
What the Akal Takht decided
Acting Jathedar Gargaj announced that Chawla and Malkit Singh were expelled through a Gurmata over alleged serious violations of Sikh conduct and Panthic rules, with a lifelong bar on serving in Sikh institutions. The decree said the allegations hurt community sentiments and compromised the dignity of Sikh institutions, and directed the community to sever ties with both. Chawla stays expelled until he is proven innocent and appears before the Akal Takht.
Expulsion is not permanent. The person can appear before the Takht, seek pardon, perform the tankhah and be readmitted, and the accused is traditionally summoned for a hearing first.
There is a precedent. Sucha Singh Langah was booked for rape on September 28, 2017. He announced his resignation from all SAD posts and his SGPC membership, calling the case political vendetta. The Takht later expelled him. He was acquitted in 2018 after the woman said she had complained under pressure, and the Takht pardoned him about five years later.
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