FORMER managers of the Ramgarhia Gurdwara have organised a petition with over 250 signatures, to encourage the Charities Commission to investigate the institution’s management style.

One of the creators of the petition, former councillor Harjinder Ghatora, 73, claimed that the Gurdwara management committee has not called an election since 1995, and has begun ejecting homeless people from the Langar hall.

Mr Ghatora said: “The management committee are blocking people coming in to get food. It’s very bad – the Langar hall is supposed to receive anybody. Why can’t they help needy people? They have a lot of money.”

The creators of the petition claim that the constitution of the Gurdwara in Woodlands Avenue, Slough, is being ignored. The document states that members of the management committee are elected for two-year terms. However, they contest that although the members change seats, there have been no elections for over twenty years.

Former members of the committee also complained that the institution had begun charging high prices for its functions, in addition to scrapping a policy to hold funerals for free for those with low incomes.

The Ramgarhia Gurdwara was investigated by the Charities Commission in November 2016 for consistently failing to file its accounts and annual reports on time.

President of the Gurdwara, Harjinder Singh Gahir, 58, of Wexham, dismissed all the claims as “absolute rubbish,” adding: “It’s absolute nonsense. These complaints are by four or five disgruntled former members.”

He questioned the authenticity of the petition, as there are no addresses on it. He admitted there had been issues with the constitution not being followed in the past, but questioned why the former managers had not raised this when they were in power.

He said: “They are trying to shift their own incompetence onto the incumbent committee.”

Mr Gahir insisted that under his leadership “all procedures are fully followed” in regards to the constitution, and demonstrated that the 2017 financial reports had been filed with the Charities Commission on time. He said claims the Gurdwara no longer holds free funerals were untrue.

Mr Gahir denied ejecting anyone from the hall, saying: “To do so would go against the ideals of the Sikh faith.”