Police intervene in Sikh temple dispute (From Bucks Free Press)

Police intervene in Sikh temple dispute

11:06am Friday 19th September 2008 in

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TRUSTEES at Wycombe’s only Sikh temple are locked in a major dispute that has led to police intervention and a High Court case.

A war of words has erupted between the four trustees of the town’s Gurdwara in Brook Street, with two facing off against two.

Its president, Sarup Singh Seehra, is taking legal action over a dispute about its ownership – and has called in police over alleged disturbances at prayer meetings.

Brothers Daya and Tarlochan Singh Sahota claim the dispute has hit the town’s small Sikh community and is damaging cohesion between different faiths – which Mr Seehra denies.

The problem has stemmed from the Sahotas’ refusal to accept the authority of Sant Baba Jeet Singh Ji, 'appointed' in India in 2002. This will now go to the High Court.

Tarlochan Singh Sahota, 70, the gurdwara’s general secretary, said: “They won’t even say hello to me.

“When we can’t have cohesion within our own community how can we play our part in the community at large?” Mr Sahota, of Totteridge Lane, said: “We have to put our own house right first.”

But Mr Seehra said he was committed to cohesion and said talk of divisions in the community were rubbish.

Mr Seehra, of West Wycombe Road, said of the trustees: “There is definitely friction, the police have been involved.

“They are the troublemakers – they have started the problem.”

On September 17 last year, Thames Valley Police’s Inspector Paul Gration wrote to all trustees.

He wrote: “Sadly once more the police were called to the Sikh temple on Sunday to ensure that disorder did not break out.

“This is a wholly unsatisfactory situation and must not continue.”

Then, in October, there was a major row after Mr Sahota placed an advert on the Gurdwara noticeboard advertising a talk for other faiths at the venue.

But Mr Seehra’s solicitors wrote to Mr Sahota’s solicitors and said approval was needed from the president as it clashed with another event.

Then, in a May letter, Mr Seehra appealed to Mohammed Azad, a community and diversity officer at Thames Valley Police, to hand Mr Sahota a warning of some sort.

Mr Seerha said Mr Sahota had complained about newspaper clippings placed on the Gurdwara noticeboard he said – then said Mr Sahota made provocative and offensive remarks in a lecture. Mr Sahota denied this.

A reply from Inspector Russ Murden said another officer had spoken to both parties – but urged calm as solicitors were now handling the case.

He said: “I hope the trustees at the Gurdwara would make sure to keep the prayer meetings clear of any argument and all parties would respect others right to pray in peace.”

He said he had received many letters and offered to mediate the argument.

The inter-faith event, which eventually took place in February, was organised for Wycombe Sharing of Faith.

Its chairman, Anne Bowker, said: “They can’t get involved in community cohesion while they have internal issues. That is where their energy needs to be.”

Insp Murden, said: “Thames Valley Police community and race relations officers have been facilitating meetings between different groups of the Gurdawara community and will continue to act as mediators during the ongoing dispute. There have been no arrests.”

The temple, the full title of which is Gurdwara Amrit Parchar Dharmik Diwan, was founded in 1993. There are thought to be about 50 Sikh families in Wycombe.