Fire at printing press in Amritsar’s Gurdwara Ramasar

According to reports, the fire broke out after an air-conditioner heat up, leading to short-circuit. The press employees brought the blaze under control.

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) also has a publishing house at the Ramsar Sahib, where it prints religious literature and copies of the holy book.

Media reports also said that five sacred ‘birs’ (copies) of the Sikh holy book has "perished" in the fire.

After the incident, the SGPC cancelled its much-anticipated executive body meeting and SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar formed a five-member inquiry committee.

“A five member committee has been formed to find out the reason behind the short circuit and suggest precautionary measures to prevent such incidents,” Makkar said.

Makkar said the fire was unfortunate and SGPC senior vice-president Raghujit Singh Virk, junior vice-president Kewal Singh Badal, general secretary Sukhdev Singh Bhaur, executive-committee member Rajinder Singh Mehta, and secretary Roop Singh would look into it and submit a report. Makkar and members of the executive committee also visited the fire-hit shrine. He called for directions to the authorities concerned to take proper care of ‘birs’.

Located alongside the Ramsar sarovar, the smallest of Amritsar’s five holy sarovars, on the south-eastern side of the walled city of Amritsar, the Gurdwara Ramsar is a marble-lined hall topped by a gilded, fluted lotus dome. It was built in 1855 at the site of the original shrine selected by Guru Arjun Dev, the fifth Sikh Guru. It is also said that this is the place where the Guru Granth Sahib was compiled.

(Courtesy: TV and media reports)