Deeply perturbed by the covert and calculated attempt to wrest control of the historic Gurdwara Bhai Vir Singh in the picturesque valley of Gulmarg, Kashmir, through unaccounted donations and backdoor manoeuvring, World Sikh News Editor Jagmohan Singh writes an open letter to Mumbai-based hotelier and SGPC-nominated member Gurinder Singh Bawa.

The letter cautions Mr Bawa that Sikhs of Kashmir and the wider Sikh Sangat will not tolerate any effort to commercialise the Gurdwara under the guise of religious development, convert it into a hospitality complex, or obliterate the name and legacy of Sikh savant Bhai Vir Singh Ji from an institution that stands as a living testament to his memory.

WSN commends the resistance mounted by the Kashmir Sangat and invites readers to join the effort to preserve the sanctity, heritage and independence of this historic Sikh institution.

WSN reiterates that Sikh institutions belong to the Sangat and the Panth, and those entrusted with their care are custodians and governors, not proprietors.

Dear Sardar Gurinder Singh Bawa Ji,
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh.

Your recent surreptitious visit on 14 May 2026 to Gulmarg with your family and an entourage comprising representatives of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee and the Chief Khalsa Diwan has caused deep consternation among Sikhs in the Kashmir valley. The Sangat has been agitated for the past two weeks, and your visit has put its religious resolve to the test.

I write to you publicly because a matter of grave concern has arisen regarding your reported involvement in the affairs of Gurdwara Bhai Vir Singh Ji, Gulmarg, and the institutions responsible for its administration. Whether you contacted DGPC Baramulla President Paramjit Singh or he contacted you is not the central issue. The fact remains that both of you have remained hush-hush about what has been donated, why it has been donated, and what the actual intentions behind the intervention are. What has baffled the Sikhs of Kashmir is why you should travel all the way to Gulmarg to demonstrate philanthropic zeal, as if no such opportunities exist in western India.

For the World Sikh News editorial team, Panthic interest is paramount. The issue is not charity, nor the right of any Sikh to contribute towards religious causes. The issue is whether financial contributions can become a vehicle for influence over institutions that belong to the Sangat and the Panth.Sikh institutions belong to the Sangat and the Panth, and those entrusted with them are custodians, not proprietors. No donor, office-bearer, committee member or outside organisation acquires authority over a Sikh institution by virtue of wealth, position or proximity to power.

You have stated in the WhatsApp group “Khalsa Unity” that your son Monu Bhatia has donated Rs. 50 lakhs for construction activity at Gurdwara Bhai Vir Singh, Gulmarg. Paramjit Singh is on record, speaking at a Gurdwara function, to say that Rs. 25 lakhs have been received. Neither you nor Paramjit Singh has clarified whether the sum has been deposited in the account of the DGPC or the Gurdwara Sahib. A formal receipt has yet to be shown to the Sikh Sangat of Kashmir. WSN has also learnt that even members of the DGPC are not fully aware of these developments.

The stand of the Kashmir Sangat is categorical: Gurdwara Bhai Vir Singh Ji is not available for acquisition through wealth, influence, personal relationships, organisational affiliations or proximity to political power. No donor, however generous, acquires a proprietary interest in a Sikh institution. No contribution, however large, confers authority over its future direction, identity or management.

The only way your money can be utilised, subject to the will of the Sikh Sangat in Kashmir, is by passing the contribution to the Kar Sewa team, which has already completed the Gurdwara building and is now at the finishing stage.

I was shocked to see a banner in which the nomenclature of the Gurdwara had already been changed to Gurdwara Guru Angad Dev Ji, reportedly at your direction because the donation came from your personal trust, which is named after the second Sikh Master, Guru Angad Dev Ji. This has caused understandable alarm.

The concern is magnified by the unique place that Gurdwara Bhai Vir Singh Ji occupies in Sikh history. This is not merely another Gurdwara. It is intimately associated with the memory and legacy of Sikh savant Bhai Vir Singh, one of the foremost architects of the modern Sikh renaissance.

It is a matter of profound irony that the Chief Khalsa Diwan, co-founded by Bhai Vir Singh and now mandated to preserve and advance his legacy, should find its name linked to proposals that would wipe out his name from this historic institution. The presence of Ramneek Singh, Honorary General Secretary of the Chief Khalsa Diwan, at meetings where changes concerning the identity of the Gurdwara were discussed has only heightened public concern and reinforced the need for complete transparency.

Like the Chief Khalsa Diwan, the SGPC is also answerable for the presence of SGPC member Harjinder Kaur at the function. Sikh institutions cannot lend their prestige, presence or silence to processes that lack the confidence of the Sangat.

What I cannot fathom is that a seasoned businessman like you did not consider it necessary to elicit the opinion of the Sikhs in Kashmir. On the contrary, Paramjit Singh has sent court caveats to those opposing the deal and has made oblique attempts to overawe members of the Sikh Sangat.

The Sikhs of Kashmir have preserved their institutions through decades of challenge, uncertainty and sacrifice. They neither require nor seek patrons. They are fully capable of safeguarding their Gurdwaras and determining their future.

Sardar Saheb Ji, you should bow to the wishes of the Sikh Sangat. They have admirably countered your move, continued to state their position, and refrained from anger or acrimony. Their commitment to preserving the autonomy and historical integrity of Gurdwara Bhai Vir Singh Ji deserves the support of Sikhs everywhere. You will go down in history as someone who respected the wishes of the Sikh Sangat, if you do the right thing now.

The matter is now within the domain of Akal Takht Sahib. Any attempt by you, Paramjit Singh or others to up the ante will boomerang, because the Sangat is supreme. Already, Paramjit Singh has defaulted by claiming that Akal Takht blessed the project, when no such blessing has been given.

Let me say it loud and clear: neither your proximity to the SGPC, nor the prestige of the Chief Khalsa Diwan, nor the resources of wealthy benefactors, nor the support of local office-bearers, can confer legitimacy upon actions that lack the confidence of the Sangat. Sikh institutions derive their authority from the Panth and the Sangat, not from private understandings reached behind closed doors.

I urge you to step back and bow to the wishes of the Sikh Sangat. Any other step would be fishing in troubled waters—or shall I say, in the snows of the Gulmarg valley!

Yours sincerely,

Jagmohan Singh
Editor, World Sikh News