Bengaluru: Sikh girl asked to remove turban by college authorities, father says HC order being misunderstood

In an email, the college authorities stated, “We believe in an inclusive society and respect all religious practices . According to the vision and mission of the college , we follow inter – religious harmony . For your information , we also have an active inter religious association . We were delighted to hear that you are an active member of the inter religious group at Ashirwad. We understand that the turban is an integral part of Sikh men / women and we do respect your belief. As a PU College with an uniform dress code , we have to abide by the High Court Order. We want to bring this to your notice and request you to kindly cooperate in order to maintain peace and harmony.”

The student’s father Gurcharan Singh responded, “Thanks for your mail, as mentioned in my earlier mail, I have gone through this order and this High court order does not mention anything about Sikh Turban, it should not be misunderstood. However I am also in touch with our community advocates and various organisations. I am sure none of us wants to spend time on such matters and we should focus on education and personality development which is the core objective of the institution. I hope you would consider this case and oblige by allowing her with her turban to attend the classes.”

Singh has also written a letter to Jeetendra Singh, administrator of Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Ulsoor, Bengaluru, about the issue. In the email he said, “Asking a Sikh to remove his/her turban is a big insult to a Sikh and the entire Sikh community. We also stand by those Muslim girls/women who want to cover their head with scarf/dupatta as a part of their faith and request authorities to allow them to do so as it was already practised in our country and it does not cause any trouble to other people. The colour of the scarf and dastaar (turban) can match the uniform of the institution.”

Campus Front of India (CFI) on Thursday condemned the college act. Athaulla Punjalkatte, State President of CFI said, ” The College Management of Mount Carmel PU College, Bengaluru asked a Sikh girl to remove turban which is against Individual and religious freedom. Actions need to be taken against such institutions that are repeatedly misusing the interim order. The repression of constitutional rights in the name of uniforms threatens the unity of the country. Religious rights of minorities in colleges are being violated as part of the state government’s indiscretion and anti-Muslim behavior, while the Constitution and Supreme Court specifically permit the Sikh community to follow the fundamental rights of the Sikh community.”