Turban row: Harsimrat lodges protest with Italian envoy

In her letter,Badal,daughter-in-law of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal,has termed the act as a humiliation of the Sikh community. “You may be aware that asking a Sikh to remove turban is a cruelty against our human rights,and time and again we have urged your government to sensitize officials at Milan airport and all over Italy about religious significance of turban.”

She goes on to add that “the settled International Law” does not permit turbans to be removed. She wrote that such incidents are happening at the Milan airport “time and again”.

The MP has also written to the Lok Sabha Speaker,urging her to take up the matter with the parliamentary delegation from Italy,that is on an official visit to the country,and ensure that such “victimization” does not reccur.

MPs from Punjab belonging to the Shiromani Akali Dal had met the ambassador in March 2011,when Singh was made to remove his turban twice — during arrival and departure — at the Milan airport. On Tuesday,captain Singh Dhupia,a senior commander with Jet airways,was asked to take off his turban at the airport during security check for his Flight 141 to Delhi. Dhupia told The Indian Express that though there was no beep when he passed through the metal detector,the officials did not pay heed to his requests,and forced him to take off his turban.