Protest March & Memorandum against forced haircut of Sikhs

Protest March & Memorandum against forced haircut of Sikhs

26 August 2006

The Sikh Community took a protest march taking along scores of Sikhs of Sirsa. The march started from Gurdwara 10th Patshahi marched through Rori bazaar etc. and reached the Deputy Commissioner’s camp office to submit a memorandum to the President of India through the DC against forced haircut of a Sikh Youth in Jaipur by some hooligans who also bet him up brutally. In the absence of the DC the Tehsildar received the memorandum. The Tehsildar while deploring the incident said that the memorandum shall be forwarded to the President of India.

S. Navneet Singh Sethi, Dr, Gurcharan Singh Sandhu, Bibi Daljeet Kaur, Malkit Singh Kang, S. Mohinder Singh Khaja Khera, S. Sukhdev Singh Dhillon, S. Jaspreet Singh, S. Lakhbir Singh Gill, S. Amarjeet Singh, S. Brahmjeet Singh Kanwar and many other noted Sikhs were present.

Meanwhile the main assaulter & culprit in the above case has been arrested in Delhi. Read related story below:

New Delhi, August 24

The forced haircut of a Sikh boy in Jaipur created storm in both Houses of Parliament today as Home Minister Shivraj Patil assured agitated members in the Rajya Sabha that the government would take note of such incidents hurting religious sentiments.

Cutting across party lines, members demanded stern action against the culprits even as the Centre gave a clean chit to the Rajasthan Government regarding the follow-up action taken by it.

The issue triggered a clash between the BJP-Akali Dal and the Congress over the issue of protection of minorities with the rival sides targeting each other over their ‘poor’ record.

Congress member Madhusudan Mistry, as soon as the House met for the day, alleged that minorities were not safe in BJP-ruled states, evoking sharp protests from the Opposition.

Responding to concerns expressed in the Upper House by emotionally-charged members, particularly from the Sikh community, Mr Patil appealed to people not to fall prey to nefarious designs of certain elements to divide society by whipping up religious passions.

Members, cutting across party lines, supported S.S. Ahluwalia (BJP) who raised the issue during Zero Hour.

In the Lok Sabha, the incident triggered a clash between the BJP-Akali Dal and the Congress with the rival sides targeting each other over their ‘poor’ record on the issue of protection of minorities.

The issue, which forced two adjournments in the Lok Sabha, was raised by Congress member Madhusudan Mistry as soon as the House met for the day.

He alleged that the minorities were not safe in BJP-ruled states, evoking sharp protests from Opposition benches.

The incident was condemned by Speaker Somnath Chatterjee.

As soon as Zero Hour began, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa (SAD) said the incidents had hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community very much.

Describing the incident, he said, involved a Sikh student of Jaipur whose hair were forcibly cut after he was beaten up by a group of four students jealous over the boy’s love-affair with a girl.

‘’Severe action should be taken against the four youths who have now been arrested,’’ Dhindsa said.

Immediately, the Akali Dal members were on their feet, and were supported by the BJP members.

Congress MP Madhusudan Mistry, supported by his other Congress and UPA colleagues, he wanted a statement from the government in this regard. He alleged that the incident only proved that minorities were not safe in the BJP-ruled States.

As this led to heated exchanges between the members of the ruling and the Opposition, the Speaker adjourned the house for five minutes