No fireworks at Golden Temple this Diwali

Amritsar: Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Avtar Singh Makkar said that following the desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib, the Golden Temple would not be lit up this Diwali. He said there would be no illumination of the Temple and no fireworks display either. The Amritsar-based SGPC controls Sikh shrines across Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. It has urged all Sikhs not to celebrate Diwali with fireworks, but only light earthern lamps. Golden Temple is illuminated with millions of lights every year. On Diwali, the sixth guru of the Sikhs, Guru Hargobind, returned to Amritsar on being released along with 52 princes by Mughal emperor Jahangir from the Gwalior prison in 1619. This is the third time in 30 years that there will be no Diwali celebrations at the Golden Temple.