Qatar Authorities Hands Over Guru Granth Sahib Saroops to Indian Embassy

New Delhi. Qatar authorities on Wednesday handed over two ‘saroops’ of the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy scripture of Sikhs, that were taken from an Indian national in a case related to running a religious establishment without approval.

The External Affairs Ministry has said the Qatar authorities have handed over two Saroops of Guru Granth Sahib to the Indian Embassy in Doha. The saroops were taken from an Indian national in a case related to running a religious establishment without approval. In a statement, the Ministry thanked the government of Qatar for handing the saroops of Guru Granth Sahib. The Ministry has also appealed to all Indian citizens residing in Qatar or other countries to scrupulously follow local laws and regulations in all matters.

A ‘saroop’ is a physical copy of the holy book.

The seizure of the scriptures in Qatar sparked a row in Bharat last week. The Indian side had taken up the issue with Qatari counterparts in view of the sensitivity of the matter.

On August 23, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had referred to reports of demands by the Sikh community for the release of the copies of the Guru Granth Sahib seized by Qatari authorities. The Indian government had taken up the matter with the Qatari side and the Indian embassy in Doha kept the Sikh community informed about developments.

Jaiswal also pointed out that the two copies of the Guru Granth Sahib were taken by Qatari authorities from individuals and groups charged with running a religious establishment without the approval of the government of Qatar.

The Qatari side had given an assurance that the other holy scriptures would be treated with respect.