Delhi’s historic Gurdwara Bangla Sahib found itself at the centre of a political controversy on Saturday after Delhi Police personnel entered its premises to detain protesters who had taken shelter there and were raising slogans against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.Hundreds of students and youth activists, including 200 from Punjab, had taken shelter at the gurdwara. While most of them were detained after setting out from the shrine, several others were taken into detention by the police from the gurdwara premises after they allegedly raised anti-government slogans.Aam Aadmi Party leaders, including Saurabh Bhardwaj and Jarnail Singh, questioned the presence of police inside the shrine. However, the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), which manages the gurdwara, defended the police action, saying the personnel had entered only to detain political protesters.DSGMC president Harmeet Singh Kalka accused AAP of playing “dirty politics” and “dragging the gurdwara into the controversy”.“Some AAP MLAs are trying to defame Gurdwara Sahib. In keeping with the Sikh spirit of sharan (refuge) and sewa (service), gurdwaras are open to all. However, today some protesters forcibly entered the premises and, despite being stopped by our staff, camped in the complex and began displaying placards carrying political slogans,” Kalka said.He alleged that the protesters not only occupied parts of the gurdwara complex but also raised political slogans.Displaying video footage of the incident, Kalka said the focus had wrongly shifted to the entry of police personnel into the shrine when they arrived to detain the protesters.“What option is left if protesters enter a sacred space and begin raising political slogans? Does anyone want political sloganeering inside a gurdwara? AAP leaders are trying to turn DSGMC’s decision to allow police entry into a political issue,” he said.Kalka said the committee wanted to make it clear that no one would be permitted to use the gurdwara premises for political activities. “People are free to protest outside. They are welcome to come to the gurdwara for shelter and food. But we will not tolerate anyone turning the gurdwara into a political arena,” he said, adding that, as on previous occasions, including July 20, Gurdwara Bangla Sahib had provided shelter to visiting youths on Saturday as well.Meanwhile, the Delhi Police issued a statement asserting that a video purportedly showing police personnel wearing shoes inside Gurdwara Bangla Sahib had been circulated with “malicious intent”.“Police personnel were walking through the common passage used by all devotees to reach the designated area where footwear is removed before entering the gurdwara. The same process applies to all devotees visiting the shrine,” the police said. Releasing the full video, the police alleged that the clip had been shared deliberately to provoke outrage.“The video has been circulated deliberately with malicious intent to outrage the feelings of a respectable religious community and is prejudicial to religious harmony. Legal action is being initiated,” the police said.50 from Punjab among detaineesEarlier in the day, student and youth organisations from Punjab claimed that more than 50 youths from the state, including 15 to 20 women, were detained.The detainees included members of the Punjab Students Union (PSU), Naujawan Bharat Sabha, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Youth Federation (SBYF) and Punjab Students Federation (PSF) from Jalandhar, Sangrur, Patiala and other districts.Speaking from Gurdwara Bangla Sahib, PSU state president Ranbir Singh Randhawa alleged that the police had cane-charged protesters before detaining them.“Today, about 200 of us initiated a march from Gurdwara Bangla Sahib towards Jantar Mantar. The police launched a lathicharge on youth and students and detained hundreds. More than 50 youths from Punjab, including 15-20 girls, have been arrested so far, though confirmations are still coming in,” he said.He added that many students remained at Gurdwara Bangla Sahib as there were fears of further detentions.Naujawan Bharat Sabha state vice-president Mangaljit Pandori said those detained included several leaders and office-bearers of student and youth organisations, along with journalists covering the protest.RMPI leader Mahipal said some senior party leaders detained earlier had been released, but several youth leaders of the SBYF and PSF from Doaba continued to remain in custody.Videos shared by detained students purportedly showed protesters with torn shirts and displaced turbans recording statements from inside police vehicles.