The city police have registered an FIR against fashion designer and lifestyle influencer Archana Makwana for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of Sikhs by performing yoga on the banks of the Golden Temple’s Sarowar, officials said on Sunday.
The police action came following a complaint filed by Golden Temple general manager Bhagwant Singh Dhangera on behalf of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) after Makwana posted pictures of his act on Instagram on June 21. Makwana’s photos had gone viral on social media.
The FIR was registered at E-District police station under Section 295-A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) (deliberate and malicious act intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting religion or religious belief).
In his complaint, Dhangera has said that he spread it (the photo) deliberately. This act has hurt the sentiments of Sikhs, he said. According to the FIR, the accused hail from Gujarat.
Following the incident, two SGPC employees were suspended for “negligence” and the SGPC also fined another employee. ₹5,000 and shifted him to Gurdwara Garhi Sahib, Gurdas Nangar.
A photo that went viral online and was later removed showed her practising yoga with the sanctum sanctorum in the background – something Sikhs called a breach of “mariada”.
Later, Makwana wrote in her Instagram story, “I was not aware that performing yoga on the Gurdwara Sahib premises could cause offense to some people. I was just expressing my respect and had no intention of hurting anyone. I sincerely apologise.”
Other videos circulating on social media show Makwana apologising and claiming that he had no intention of hurting anyone’s sentiments. In another, he says he has been given security by the Gujarat government after the incident. HT could not independently verify the authenticity of these videos.
