A fire at Gurdwara Akigarh Sahib at Moom village in Barnala district on Wednesday morning has once again raised concerns about electrical safety in gurdwaras. The incident comes less than a week after a similar fire at a gurdwara in Bathinda district.
The fire broke out around 4.30 am, reportedly due to a short circuit in a fan installed inside the gurdwara. One holy saroop of Guru Granth Sahib suffered heat damage, while 11 other saroops remained safe. The blaze also damaged the fan, a wall clock and some plastic items.
Gurdwara committee members and sewadars acted promptly and brought the fire under control before it could spread further. The damaged saroop was later sent to Goindwal Sahib for the necessary religious procedures.
The fire damaged a fan, wall clock and other items at a gurdwara at Moom village in Barnala district on Wednesday.
Takht Damdama Sahib Jathedar Baba Tek Singh, accompanied by some SGPC members, visited the gurdwara and expressed grief over the incident. Taking serious note of the matter, he summoned the gurdwara management committee to appear at Takht Damdama Sahib on June 16 and explain the circumstances leading to the fire.
The Jathedar also urged gurdwara management committees to avoid installing unnecessary electrical equipment and to conduct regular inspections of electrical wiring and fittings to prevent such incidents.
Notably, on June 4, a fire broke out at Gurdwara Dhabsar Sahib at Jassi Pauwali village in Bathinda district during a dust storm. In that incident, four covers of holy saroops of Guru Granth Sahib were damaged, though the saroops remained safe.
