The special investigation team (SIT) probing the disappearance of 328 sacred “saroops” has, with the arrest of auditor Surinder Pal Singh Kohli, decided to examine all financial transactions related to the case and scrutinise the accounts. Kohli was arrested by the SIT from Chandigarh on Thursday and produced in a local court late in the evening. After hearing arguments from both sides, the court sent him to six-day police remand. The police had sought 12-day remand, citing the need for custodial interrogation to trace the money trail and recover crucial financial records. Bhagwant Singh Sialka, representing Kohli, confirmed that the police pressed for custodial investigation, arguing that Kohli also served as an accountant for the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and possessed comprehensive records of financial dealings that were vital to the investigation. However, the court limited the remand to six days after considering submissions from the prosecution and the defence. Meanwhile, the police have maintained silence on the specifics of the investigation. The arrest and subsequent court proceedings have triggered sharp reactions from Sikh organisations and the main complainant in the case. Bhai Baldev Singh Wadala, a leader of the Sikh Sadbhavna Dal, along with Bhai Ranjit Singh of the Sikh Youth Federation (Bhindranwale), alleged that SGPC member and lawyer Bhagwant Singh Sialka appeared in court as Kohli’s counsel to shield him from police remand. They claimed this stance contradicted earlier statements by SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami, who had asserted that the committee had no association with the accused and had already initiated departmental action against 16 individuals, accusing the government of undue interference. Wadala further alleged that the SGPC had, merely for formality, filed a case before the Gurdwara Judicial Commission four years ago to recover Rs 7 crore from Kohli. However, when the police sought Kohli’s remand in connection with the missing “saroops” case on December 7, the SGPC allegedly stood in his defence. Terming this a “double standard”, the Sikh leaders demanded immediate resignation of SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami and SGPC member Bhagwant Singh Sialka on moral grounds. SGPC shielding influential: AAP Aam Aadmi Party’s state media incharge Baltej Pannu on Friday accused the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and its president Harjinder Singh Dhami of shielding influential individuals in the case of 328 missing saroops. Addressing a press conference, Pannu alleged that the main accused was arrested from a hotel room booked in the name of a reporter with a news channel in which SAD chief Sukhbir Badal has a stake. “The room was booked on the spot from December 29 to January 1 and paid for entirely in cash,” he said. “This points to deliberate protection, a glaring conflict of interest in SGPC’s legal handling, and sustained efforts to derail justice while the Sikh sangat continues to await answers,” he added. Pannu said SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami was wrongly portraying the probe as an “interference in Sikh affairs”. He recalled that the Punjab and Haryana High Court had directed the government to conduct the investigation, leading to registration of an FIR, constitution of a special investigation team, and the first arrest. Referring to a written order by the current Jathedar asking the SGPC to trace the missing Saroops, Pannu said it proved the matter remained unresolved, contrary to claims that it was only a counting error.