By IANS,
Ranchi : Sikhs in Jharkhand Thursday filed a petition in the high court here demanding appointment of their community member as vice-chairperson of the state’s Minority Commission.
The Central Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (CGPC) of Jamshedpur filed a Public Interest Litigation in Jharkhand High Court.
The commission was constituted Feb 20 by Jharkhand Governor Syed Sibte Razi. Gulfam Mojibi was appointed the chairman while Xavier Soreng and Manzoor Ahmad Ansari were named vice-chairpersons.
The petition said that traditionally in Bihar, Muslims headed the minority commission while the vice-chairpersons’ posts are represented by a Christian and a Sikh. Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar in 2000.
“The last two successive governments led by Madhu Koda and Shibu Soren had recommended to appoint a Sikh as vice-chairperson of the Minority Commission but governor reversed the recommendation,” it said.
“We are not against any community. Our intention is that minority communities should be represented in proportion and tradition should be followed. Sikh should not be ignored in a move to appease other communities,” said Manpreet Singh of Ranchi.