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Sikhs on turban mission
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has urged the central government to mount pressure on foreign countries so that turbans worn by Sikh travellers were not ordered removed for security checks at international airports.
Badal termed the turban as an integral part of the Sikh identity.
He said it was unfortunate that Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) President Manjit Singh GK was asked to remove his turban during frisking at the Rome international airport.
"Removal of turban in the name of security check in foreign countries is a direct assault on the Sikh identity. Any disrespect to the identity in any form is not tolerable. Such practices hurt the religious sentiments of Sikhs," Badal said.
He said that to stop this practice, the Ministry of External Affairs, through its embassies in various countries, must convey to the respective national governments that they must accord due respect to the turban.
"I will soon take up this matter with the prime minister and the union external affairs minister for immediate action," he added.
The state of Punjab has the highest number of Sikhs in the country. Current Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh himself belongs to the community.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC), whose President Manjit Singh GK was recently asked by security staff at the Rome Airport to remove his turban, is planning to invite diplomats from foreign missions to apprise them of the importance of turban in Sikh religion.
At a press conference in New Delhi, former union minister B S Ramoowalia and office bearers of the Sikh body lauded the DSGMC chief and four others for not having removed turbans when asked to do so at the Rome airport on August 6.
After a day's impasse and intervention by Indian mission in Italy, the country's authorities allowed Singh and four others to board the plane.
Narrating the incident, Singh said that he had gone to Cremona city in Italy to attend attending a Dastar (turban) Awareness Day event. He said that there had been complaints about Sikhs being asked to remove turbans in Italy for security checks, something which they consider humiliating.
Singh said that on August 6, at the Rome Airport when he and four others were asked to take off their "hats" (turbans), the group decided not to comply, even if it meant missing the flight.
Singh said that they tried to reason with Italian authorities and also contacted the Indian mission in Italy. He said that as the word spread, support poured from Sikhs across the globe and Punjab.
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