AMRITSAR: Sikhs around the world have been directed by the Akal Takht to stop refering to their key shrine as Golden Temple but as either Sachkhand Sri Harmandir Sahib, Sri Darbar Sahib or Sri Amritsar .

The direction comes after the National Highways Authority of India put up a signboard of ‘Sunehari Mandir’— a literal translation of Golden Temple — pointing to the shrine. The Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh said naming the shrine Golden Temple has hurt the religious sentiments of the Sikhs. He said the Sikh clergy had issued directions on the correct nomenclature of the shrine.

“Naming Harmandir Sahib as Sunehari Mandir has severely hurt the religious sentiments of Sikhs. Darbar Sahib is not a temple, but a most revered holy place of Sikhs,” he said on Wednesday.

The Akal Takht also took strict note of a follower of Sirsa dera equating convicted Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh with the 10th Sikh master Guru Gobind Singh in a video on Facebook . The jathedar said he had directed Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee to file a case under Section 295 A (destruction, damage, or defilement of a place of worship or an object held sacred, with intent to insult the religion of a class of persons) of IPC against the Dera follower. SGPC chief secretary Roop Singh said they have written to Punjab DGP to order registration of a case against person.

