Strongly denouncing the BJP-led Union Government's prohibition on Amritdhari (baptised) Sikh employees wearing the kirpan at airports, Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhawan on Monday called for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's immediate intervention in the matter.
Sandhwan, in an official communique, said that the Union Government's restriction on religious articles of baptised Sikhs is unacceptable and demanded its immediate revocation. He urged the Civil Aviation Ministry to take swift action to rescind this anti-Sikh directive.
The Speaker said that Sikh community is renowned for both their diligence and proven religious devotion. “India's identity as a diverse nation encompassing various religions, ethnicities and communities. In a country where the Constitution guarantees religious freedom to all citizens, restricting religious symbols is unjustifiable,” he argued.
Sandhawan mentioned that the Sikh community has shown extraordinary valour during India's independence movement and made numerous sacrifices for the nation. He expressed dismay that the present dispensation is now imposing limitations on Sikh religious symbols, characterizing such actions as direct interference in Sikh religious affairs that the union government must avoid.
The Speaker demanded the immediate withdrawal of this directive and the restoration of baptised Sikh airport employees’ right to wear the kirpan, their traditional religious symbol.
