Sikh religous body Shiromani Gurdwara Prabhandhak Committee (SGPC) in Panchkula, Haryana, has refused to hold prayers to mark the first death anniversary of 1965 war hero Lt Gen Ranjit Singh Dayal citing his participation in Operation Bluestar as the reason. The SGPC has supported the decision of the Gurudwara with its President Avtar Singh Makkar lauding the gurudwara management. Lt Gen Dayal was chief of staff, western command, at the time of the operation. Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab, Sukhbir Singh Badal, has distanced himself from the development saying the matter does not come under his perview. The Akali Dal feigns ingnorance with its Secretary Daljit Singh Cheema saying that he is not aware of the fact that the gurdwara has refused to hold prayers for Lt Gen Ranjit Singh Dayal.