On May 18, a two-person team from the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) arrived in Mechukha, Arunachal Pradeshs Shi-Yomi district, to study a sacred site that is contested by the local Buddhist and Sikh populations. The NCM team met with leaders of the Buddhist Memba community in Mechukha, led by vice-chairperson Kersi K. Deboo and member Rinchen Lhamo. According to officials, no Sikh representative attended the meeting.During the discussion, Norbu Tsering Naksang, the president of the Memba communitys Neh-Nang Cultural Development Society, conveyed their disappointment and raised concerns about the integration of a gurdwara with their religious and historical site, Neh Pema Shelpu Drupkhang, where Rinpoche Padmasambhava meditated. The Memba community that has lived in the Shi-Yomi district for generations is represented by the Neh-Nang Cultural Development Society. Naksang expressed optimism about the commissions answer and a peaceful conclusion to the dispute.Later that evening, the NCM team undertook a site inspection of the shrine, which is about 14 kilometres from Mechukha, a sub divisional headquarters about 30 kilometres from the nearest point of the Line of Actual Control between India and Chinas Tibetan area. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) alleged a few weeks ago that the site is related to Guru Nanak Dev and it had been taken over by Buddhists, sparking the conflict. On April 24, the NCM demanded a thorough report from the Arunachal Pradesh government based on this allegation.The claim made by the Sikh communityThe SGPC seemed to be outraged by Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandus social media post following his April 8 visit to the shrine, in which he acknowledged praying to and seeking blessings from Guru Padmasambhava. Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu at Neh-Pema Shelpu Drupkhang (Image: Twitter)According to locals, the gurdwara was built after a Sikh Army commander stationed in the area in the 1980s said it was the location where Guru Nanak meditated. They further stated that the gurdwara had been maintained by the Army because no Sikhs had lived in the area to take care of its maintenance.
