The issue of the confiscated Sikh heritage material, taken away from the Sikh Reference Library (SLR) by the Army during Operation Bluestar in 1984, has been complicated further by the contradictory statements on their whereabouts by two Central Bureau of Investigation officials.

After Operation Bluestar, the material was packed in gunny bags and and sent to Delhi.  While former Deputy Superintendent of Police Shabdal Singh has said that the material was brought back to Amritsar from Delhi after scrutiny, inspector Ranjit Singh Nanda has said that the material was still with the CBI in Delhi. Both officials were part of the five-member CBI team assigned the task of analysing and cataloguing the material.  Nanda told TOINS on Tuesday that he has sufficient material to substantiate his claim that the material is still with CBI. Nanda, who claims to have returned some material to SGPC in 1989, said that during the cataloguing process he "picked up" some material under the influence of Sikh religious sentiments. "I have taken a calculated risk. I have come out openly for the good cause of the Sikh community and strengthen the SGPC's case to reclaim the material. I fail to understand why CBI has denied the possession of SRL material," he added.  Earlier, Union defence minister George Fernandes had admitted that the books and documents recovered from the Golden Temple library were handed over to the CBI and he had asked the SGPC to take up the issue with the ministry of personnel. The CBI, however, has denied possession of SRL material and maintains that it had returned the material to SGPC.  Though the SGPC is pursuing he matter with the concerned ministry on the basis of Fernandes' direction, they have not received any written statement from CBI regarding the possession of SRL material.